All Entries Tagged With: "General"

Buying a Notebook? Must-Haves.

Notebook Computer (flickr cc: Craig Jewell)

Notebook computers have changed a lot in just a few years.  There are a few improvements on most consumer models that you shouldn’t live without.  Here are a few things to look for in your next laptop:

• LED Screen

An LED backlit screen uses, you guessed it, LEDs rather than something like CCFL tubes.  An LED screen provides a brighter picture with whiter whites and richer colors.  LED screens are more durable, have a longer lifespan, and consume less energy.  They are thinner and allow the overall size of the notebook to shrink.  LED screens take less time to warm up, as the laptop’s picture often appears quicker when bringing your computer out of sleep mode.

• Small Power-Brick / Adapter
  

  Eee PC Adapter (flickr cc: -N8-)

One of the favorite things about my original Asus Eee PC was the small power adapter.  Rather than having two separate cables and a large brick to carry around/unravel, the Eee PC had a simple wall-mounted adapter.  It was much easier and quicker to whip out the Eee PC adapter and plug it in.  The Eee PC adapter also used less space in my bag.  The design is similar to what we see with current cell phones, and many computer manufacturers are adopting this style.

• Magnetic Latch / No Latch

Another complaint of the older notebooks I’ve owned is the clunky, mechanical latch.  Thankfully, most manufacturers are getting away from this design and opting for a magnetic latch or no latch at all.  The Apple MacBook is a simple design that implements the magnetic latch.  Some smaller laptops and netbooks don’t use a latch at all.  This is more or less a convenience issue rather than anything that impacts productivity.

• Magnetic / Quick Release AC Power Plug
  

  Magnetic Power Plug (flickr cc: 37prime)

Not to ride the Apple bandwagon but the MacBook also has a very well implemented AC Power plug.  The magnetic design allows for a quick release if ever someone trips on your computer’s power cord.  Too many times to count, myself or someone in my home, including my dog, has gotten tangled in my computer’s power cord.  If my notebook did not feature a quick-release plugin, it might spell certain death.  A quick-release plug allows the power cord to separate from the unit without bringing your laptop tumbling or crashing to the ground.

• SSD (Solid State Drive)

SSD (flickr cc: piesto)

Despite their higher costs, Solid State Drives are becoming cheaper and more prevalent.  SSDs are more popular because they are less prone to wear out over time.  A standard Hard Disk Drive has moving parts that wear or slow as your computer ages.  The HDD can also fail due to jolts or hard bumps that can occur when transporting your laptop.  SSDs also consume less energy and are often faster than traditional HDDs.

• Webcam

Webcams are pretty much the norm on most consumer laptops these days, and I’d say they’re one thing you shouldn’t do without.  If nothing for the simple fact of videoconferencing over your favorite messenger client, such as Skype, webcams provide better communication and entertainment.

Things that will be must-haves soon:

• WiMax/Wireless Broadband Support

Thanks to the popularity and proliferation of the netbook, it’s my guess that many wireless providers will soon realize the potential WiMax/wireless broadband market.  Although many wireless carriers offer data plans, they are still a little pricey and have monthly limits.  As the demand to be connected continues to grow and prices of mobile devices drop, hopefully wireless carriers will offer reasonable plans without download limits.  Look for wireless internet capabilities to one day be standard in netbooks and traditional laptops.

• Multitouch Support / Inking Capabilities

The success of Apple’s iPhone, interest in Microsoft Surface, and the mention of inking support in Windows 7 point to a future of touch.  Although the Tablet PC has struggled to gain mainstream popularity, devices like the HP TouchSmart PC show the strong consumer desire for touch-enabled devices.  A few manufacturers are beginning to take note and release reasonably priced tablet netbooks and laptops.  As always, the rumor mill continues to hum of a someday Apple tablet.

• Instant-on Operating System

An instant-on operating system is an OS that allows a computer to boot in under 30 seconds, providing basic computing functionality.  An instant-on operating system helps blur the line between computer and appliance.  Ultimately, the goal of a Personal Computer is to be personal, something that you can interact with on a daily basis without waiting or thinking about what you’re doing.  The features listed as must-haves integrate notebooks into our lives.

All of these features will eventually become standard options for new laptops and hopefully netbooks down the road.  Consider these options if you’re looking for a powerful, well-built notebook computer and want something that won’t become obsolete in a 6 months.

What are your must-haves in a notebook?

Doing The Mobile Thing On The Cheap

For the foreseeable future, mobile folks will be looking to cut expenses the best way possible. However, that doesn’t mean giving up “going mobile”. In fact, going mobile in economic challenging times might just be a great way to save money and land that next opportunity.

Here are some ideas on doing the mobile thing on the cheap:

1. Check out ebay for great deals on used tablets or ultra-portables. Last time I checked, a good TC1100 or TabletKiosk Tablet PC could be had for $400 - $500
2. Checkout OEMs refurb specials. Great deals can be had on refurb units.
3. Delay buying that new laptop /tablet pc. Instead, upgrade the memory and harddrive in your existing laptop / tablet pc to give it that extra boost
4. If you don’t have a mobile computer, consider some of the $400 - $500 netbooks from Dell, HP, Toshiba, Asus
5. Don’t purchase Microsoft Office. Instead download comparable solutions from OpenOffice.org
6. Utilize some of the free online document creation offerings from Google and Zoho
7. Ditch your hosted exchange account, and switch to Gmail or Windows Live Hotmail
8. Hang out at some of the free WiFi hotspots like the library, independent coffee shops, bookstores, and more. While there, just get a “coffee of the day” instead of the mocha. You’ll save yourself $2 - $3 a cup
9. Terminate the contract on your dedicated WWAN modem, instead utilizing your cell phone as a modem. Depending on the carrier, tethering options are sometimes cheaper than dedicated data card plans. The early termination fee is sometimes cheaper than the $60 a month you are currently paying. It won’t take long to break even. In addition, consider a family share plan on your cell phone. Now might be a good time to kill that landline and go completely cellular.
10. Use a Tablet PC – save paper and it can double as a fax machine when you use services like eFax.com. While we are talking about the Tablet PC and saving paper, use the included Windows Journal to take your notes – it is a fantastic program!! When funds start to come back in, check out Evernote and OneNote.
11. Utilize the free services of SugarSync, Box.net, DropBox, Live Mesh, etc to store files and share them with co-workers or prospective employers
12. Get a free blog at Wordpress and post to it frequently using your mobile phone. Who knows, you might launch the next go-to blog during a downturn in the economy
13. Use Skype to talk to your long-distance family, friends, and co-workers
14. Use video messaging services like Skype, iChat or MSN Messenger to video chat together
15. Come up with innovative mobile technology solutions that truly help folks save money and cut expenses. Those will be the folks that succeed during a downturn – innovators.
16. Read free eBooks on your netbook or tablet pc from the Gutenberg Project

What tips / ideas can you think of to “do the mobile thing on the cheap”?

Is Cloud Computing a Trap?

With any new movement, trend, or paradigm shift there are always those who don’t see eye-to-eye with all of the eyeballs that are following the masses. Of course it takes time to find out who is right and who isn’t. GNU creator and founder of the Free Software Foundation Richard Stallman things that the move to Cloud Computing is not only a trap but that “it’s stupidity.”

One reason you should not use web applications to do your computing is that you lose control," he said. "It’s just as bad as using a proprietary program. Do your own computing on your own computer with your copy of a freedom-respecting program. If you use a proprietary program or somebody else’s web server, you’re defenceless. You’re putty in the hands of whoever developed that software.

Stallman isn’t alone in his thinking and we’re starting to hear more voices echoing some of his points. You can read more of Stallman’s thoughts in this Guardian article.

Steve Ballmer Talking at the Churchill Club Event

Steve Ballmer sheds some insight on quite a few areas in this video, including mobile technologies and their future at Microsoft.  Touching on smart phones, search and the cloud, there are quite a few pieces of information worth knowing from this video. As an example, Steve says that “We’ll keep buying about 20 companies a year.”  You can watch the embedded interview below.

EDIT - There is not an option for the video not to start when the page loads.  To see the video, head over to the main page.  FYI - the video will start playing right away, even on that page.

eBay Tips: Always Watch The Shipping

A few years ago I had my heart set on buying a sword.  I took a few trips to the local antique mall and kept finding myself gazing upon the beautiful Excalibur weapons as they gently rested in their display cases.  It was a phase I was going through.  That phase led me to an impulse purchase on eBay.  As I began to view the results of my eBay search, I saw that there were a few swords for sale and their auctions were ending in under a minute.  I quickly examined the prices to see that they were selling for under five dollars!  Without reading the auctions terms closely, I threw in a last second bid for a mighty blade.

Check the auction’s shipping terms

Little did I realize that the seller was shipping the sword from Japan, and he was charging $200 to ship it.  No wonder it was selling for five dollars and had no bids with under a minute remaining.  eBay has recently made changes so that sellers are now unable to charge exorbitant shipping costs.  However, It is still important to review the terms of shipping to make sure your item arrives in a timely fashion and not via horse and carriage.  It is important to request delivery confirmation or a tracking number, while additional insurance is optional.

Ask questions

One of the things that will help you not only learn more about the item you are bidding on but also learn about your seller is asking questions.  It is fairly easy to ask an eBay seller a question, even protecting your email to retain privacy.  Asking questions will allow the seller to make a candid response that will enable you to evaluate the sellers professionalism, grammar, and gain valuable details about your desired item.  When others ask questions, the seller might opt to post those questions on the auction page for all to view.  Reviewing other’s questions often provides additional great info.

If you don’t see a picture, don’t buy it!

As a general rule, don’t pursue and item if there is no picture.  Also watch out for stock photos, pictures that are a company produced photo rather than an actual photograph of the item for sale.  It is very easy to find a stock photo of nearly any electronic device through Google.  Real pictures will reveal wear and tear, defects, and the overall condition of the item for sale.  Multiple pictures from different angles provide even greater representation.  If I don’t see a picture, I don’t bid.

Don’t take a huge risk

Ultimately, don’t put a bunch of cash towards an auction and trust that things will work out.  Many of the mobile electronics for sale on eBay are units that have experienced hard, previous lives in companies.  When a business decides to upgrade, they sell the old units in bulk.  Those units are cleaned up, “refurbished,” the OS is reinstalled, and they are put on eBay.  It’s not always a bad thing as many of these units sell hundreds less than new or certified refurbished machines.  Always review the seller’s warranty and return policies.  Some sellers will allow for returns, some will not.  Some sellers will provide a warranty, while others will not.  You might end up with a great deal or a lemon when you buy an item on eBay.

I eventually decided to go ahead and pay five dollars for the sword and told the seller to keep it.  Aside from that short-second decision, I’ve had a lot of luck buying notebook computers and electronics on eBay.  I have been fortunate to find respected sellers that fully represented the items they had up for auction. I’ve also had friends that lost big bucks for items that were in much worse shape than they were described.  In the end, its about researching what you’re getting into and enjoying the outcome. 

What have your eBay experiences been?  Have you been swindled?

Photo credit: Wm Jas (flickr cc)

How Often Do You Buy New?

It can be difficult keeping up with the latest, big thing in the world of tech.  If you’re one who keeps track of tech blogs religiously, you know what a hassle it can be to catch up if you miss a few days.  New technology hits the market faster than bloggers are able to keep up.  Although it’s a lot of fun to learn about new products that splash into the market, how many people actually purchase new technology when it is released?  Here are a few advantages in waiting to buy the hottest gadgets:

• Buying a product six months after it is released usually provides enough time for major bugs to be discovered and a remedy to be issued.  Technology is often rushed to the market and may not be as complete as the manufacturer would like.  A six-month time span allows early adopters to get their hands on the hottest thing and test it out for you.
• A six month time span often allows for some type of price drop.  You might not be able to purchase the newest model on the block, but you can save a few pennies any time there has been a product upgrade.  Unless there has been a major redesign, most product line upgrades are cosmetic or nominal.  It is important to fully read and compare any changes or upgrades that occur as occasionally there may be a big fix.  However, most of the time you’ll be getting basically the same thing.
• Six months allows bloggers to fully rip apart every angle of whatever gadget your heart desires.  It will be unboxed, taken apart, demonstrated, used, and abused so that you don’t have to rebox it and return it because it doesn’t meet your needs.  By the time a gadget has been on the market six months, professional review sites have had time to collect battery life information and benchmark tests.  It pays to slow down and do your research before buying something new.
• Waiting six months can also cool your desire.  I can get caught in the tech hype when a new product is released to the market.  I read about how it is so much faster, better, and cooler looking, but most of the time my current setup does exactly what the new product does.  If I wait a few months, I stop rationalizing how I need something new, and I realize what I already have works just fine.

Next time you think about buying something as soon as it is released, think about these tips.  It could save you a few bucks and a big headache.  It might not be cool to wait, but it’s ultimately the wise move.  Hit up the comments and let us know how often you buy something new.

Photo credit: TheAnlieness (flickr cc)

Connectivity Woes For a Mobile Warrior

My recent travels introduced more connectivity troubles than I can shake a stick at.

• Hurricane Gustav weather made its way up to St. Louis, exposing leaky windows on our side of the hospital. My phone sat in a puddle of water for several hours before I realized that there was water coming in through the window. Needless to say, the phone was fried. Insert unwanted train trip to Verizon store to get a new phone here.
• The antennae broke on my EVDO modem a day later. Purchased replacement modem during above trip.
• Hotel WiFi was only available in the lobby. I ended up purchasing an Apple Airport Express portable router so my wife and I could seamlessly share the same internet connection.
• Hospital WiFi and hotel internet access blocked outgoing VPN ports, which prevented me from doing critical work for several of my customers. Fortunately, Panera didn’t block those ports, but that meant doing the work away from the hospital and hotel room, and also meant I had to do the work before Panera closed at 9:00 PM. Hotels and hospitals - if you are going to offer internet access to your guests, PLEASE offer a solution where you don’t block outgoing ports. Parents have work to do, which often requires the use of a VPN connection.
• Our hotel was made of nothing but concrete, which made my cell phone and EVDO modem next to impossible to use in our room. The only half-way decent signal I could get was at the end of the hallway next to a window, and even then, I could only count on one intermittent bar at best.
• Fortunately, I relied heavily upon SugarSync’s services for keeping my data in-sync between two computers I was using at the time. It also provided an instant backup in the event one of my computers crashed. I also relied heavily upon my hosted Exchange account at MailStreet.com
• I forgot to bring a power strip on this trip to St. Louis, so that meant a constant battle of plugging in / unplugging various adapters in to the only available power source in our hotel room.

Everywhere I turned, I had roadblocks thrown up during a time that I needed them taken down. As you might imagine, I am thrilled to finally be home.

GETAC V100 Outdoor Screen Enhancement

GETAC has a new option on their V100 Rugged Tablet PC/Notebook that takes it up to 1200 NITS. This will make outdoor viewing a breeze and is reported that the battery life will not be changed at all!!  Inside this unit is also a Core 2 Duo Processor with all the connectivity you’ll need - Including a built in GPS unit.

Click the read more link to check out the full press release on the new screen offering from GETAC.

GETAC UPGRADES POPULAR V100 NOTEBOOK/TABLET PC WITH INDUSTRY-LEADING 1200 NITS DISPLAY

Company Combines Screen Brightness and Anti-Reflective Technology to Enable Daylight Viewability Six Times Better Than Competitive Solutions

LAKE FOREST, CA. - September 9, 2008 - GETAC Inc., a leading innovator and manufacturer of rugged computers that meet the demands of field-based applications, is upgrading its popular V100 Notebook/Tablet PC with GETAC’s exclusive Sunlight Readable Technology (SRT) to offer a super-bright screen display operating at 1200 NITS without sacrificing the notebook’s battery life. By simply opening and swiveling its display, the V100 quickly converts from a notebook computer to a tablet PC. These, and other features, make the GETAC V100 the ideal choice for users with “mission critical” applications in full sunlight including search and rescue teams, military personnel, law enforcement officers, utility workers and others to avoid errors, diminished productivity, physical danger, and eyestrain.

In addition to its bright, easy-to-read screen display, the GETAC V100 is fully compliant with MIL-STD 810F and IP54 standards for ruggedness including the ability to withstand heavy rain, airborne dust and debris.

For further protection, the hybrid notebook/tablet PC has a removable hard drive that is shielded by a special mechanism to prevent damage during operation; anti vibration compounds, which serve as a shock absorber during transport; and an anti-shock housing to further protect it if bumped or dropped.

“Our 1200 NITS display made its debut in GETAC’s B300 fully rugged notebook and has been extremely popular with our customers,” said Jim Rimay, president, GETAC. “By offering a display with superior brightness and the highest effective contrast ratio in its class, the V100 rugged convertible computer is an amazing breakthrough for rugged mobile users in every field.”

Weighing a mere 4.8 pounds, the GETAC V100 features an ultra-quiet fan-less design and includes a wide range of standard and optional features, including a 10.4 inch screen, power-saving Intel (R) Core (TM) 2 Duo 1.2GHz processor, up to 2 GB of DRAM, 250GB shock-mounted removable hard drive, Integrated Bluetooth, reversible waterproof camera, and a full menu of wireless networking capabilities to ensure users always stay connected and in control. The notebook / tablet PC is housed in a water-resistant design built on a rugged magnesium alloy frame. The V100 can be customized by offering a variety of advanced upgrade options including 12-inch LCD screen, optional Integrated GPS, and 3G and standard 802.11a/b/g wireless functionality.

Sunlight Readable Technology

There are two conventional approaches to increasing viewability on a

display: raising screen brightness, and decreasing reflectivity (typically with anti-reflective coatings).

The largest problem with increasing screen brightness is that a brighter fluorescent backlight array consumes dramatically more power, cutting battery life in portable devices. Likewise, anti-reflective coatings tend to be expensive and can add as much as 3-to-4 times to the cost of a touchscreen. Moreover, both methods are significantly limited in their ability to improve display appearance in bright sunlight on their own.

GETAC’s solution combines proprietary technologies for both screen brightness and anti-reflectivity to overcome these limitations. GETAC created a display backlight based on light-emitting diode (LED) sources to replace the cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) that are commonly used.

The less diffused light from an LED enables a power-efficient, super-bright 1,200 NITS display, without sacrificing battery life or resorting to undesirable power-management schemes. Combined with an active ant-reflective process based on circular polarization to block reflective light, its Sunlight Readable Technology enables viewability that is more than six times

better* than competing solutions and creates a mercury-free solution.

The results of exhaustive testing clearly indicate that GETAC has broken new ground with its Sunlight Readable Technology, enabling a quantum leap forward in display readability for rugged mobile systems used in bright sunlight.

About GETAC

GETAC, Inc., A subsidiary of MiTAC Technology Corporation, was founded in

1988 as a joint venture with GE Aerospace and has been a pioneer and innovator in the rugged mobile computing industry ever since. GETAC provides premier fully rugged, rugged and semi-rugged notebook, tablet PC and handheld solutions for the military, law enforcement, public safety, utility, telecommunication, manufacturing, field service and mobile workforce industries. All GETAC rugged models are strictly controlled and monitored from the design, manufacture, quality assurance to service flows, making GETAC an industry-preferred rugged computer provider. For more information, visit www.getac.com.

Based on GETAC’s comparisons of the effective contrast rate measured under 10,000 lux ambient lighting conditions.

(c) 2008 GETAC Inc. All rights reserved. GETAC and the GETAC logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of GETAC Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Add 4 GB of Memory on the Cheap!

I was just looking at the weekly Fry’s ad in our local news paper…  4GB notebook memory kit for $39.99 (after rebate, but still)!!!  I remember when this would have been a couple hundred bucks!!  Sorry for bad picture, to see it online follow this link to Frys.com online.

Ubiquity: Extend Firefox with Language Based Instructions

This is an interesting prototype for those using Firefox. Ubiquity is a Firefox extension that basically adds a command interface to any web page that allows you to enter natural language like instructions to mash-up various web services. If you’re familiar with ActiveWords or Quicksilver, you’ve got a jump on understanding what they are after here. The example everyone is touting in talking about this, is that you can insert a map in an email without leaving the email that you are working on, but you can imagine many other uses for this as well. You call up Ubiquity with a key combination. Keep in mind this is an early protoype but it is available for download.

Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

UMPC Sunlight Shootout

I hope Jenn at Pocketables brought along some sunscreen. She took a raft of UMPCs and ultra-portables out into the sunlight to see which one(s) had the best outdoor viewability. She’s given us a range of pictures to compare and contrast.

UMPC Podcast Live - Join In On The Chat

Check out Chippy and JKKMobile recording their podcast - Live on UMPC Portal - It’s happening now, so head on over!!

Cloud Computing: Is It Changing The World?

Business Week is running an interesting article called How Cloud Computing Is Changing the World that takes a look at our businesses may or may not be moving into the cloud. Of course much of the focus is on the economic benefit as well as some of the current day obstacles. The article calls Cloud Computing a “sea change” and to a large degree I think that is an apt description. It also takes a look at some of the big players in the game and how predictions are for Cloud Computing to move from a “several-hundred-million dollar business” to a “billion-dollar business in a couple of years.”

A lot of this focus is on the back end, and companies that are racing to build server farms to support all of your data in the Cloud. We don’t talk about that much here on GBM. It is of course an important part of the move to the Cloud, and I’m sure most users won’t really pay much attention, unless there is a problem, but the companies that run and host the software certainly will. There’s money to be made in them thar clouds.

On another Cloud Computing note, this past weekend there was word that Dell was attempting to trademark the moniker, Cloud Computing. It just goes to show you that while we focus on which devices allow users to get into the Cloud, there is big movement behind the scenes to build those Clouds.

How To Extend The Life Of Your Li-Ion Batteries

Mobile devices have changed how and where we stay connected. The lifeline for all mobile devices lies within the battery. There have always been myths and half-truths regarding maximizing battery life and battery run time. Fran Hoffart, an applications engineer for Linear Technology Corporation, published an article that ran on EET Asia with some real-world suggestions for prolonging the life of your Li-Ion battery, and thus, maintaining maximum run time.

In this article, I will examine the information (or misinformation) that I commonly find on the internet regarding Li-Ion batteries. By pooling several sources, including that of Hoffart, I hope to debunk the top 5 misconceptions of Li-Ion batteries in an effort to maximize up-time and battery longevity for all your digital devices.

Myth 1: Li-Ion Batteries, like all batteries, have the memory effect and must be completely discharged to alleviate this problem.

- The reality is Li-Ion and Li-Ion polymer batteries are built around a technology that is much different than traditional solid metal anode/cathode rechargeable batteries where electrons migrate. Unlike regular batteries, Li-Ion rechargeable batteries have anodes and cathodes that can host the moving Li⁺ ions. Because of this, there is no common memory effect for Li-Ion batteries. There is, however, a digital memory effect where the circuitry in the battery that communicates with the device will not recalibrate its “fuel gauge” properly, sometimes giving a false reading for maximum capacity and thus results in lower battery run time. To alleviate this problem, it is recommended you do a full cycle discharge/recharge every 30 partial charges.

Myth 2: Keeping your Li-Ion battery constantly charged is a good practice for the prevention of battery degradation.

- The reality is Li-Ion batteries are sensitive to heat. Keeping your laptop plugged in, for example, can diminish the life expectancy of your battery. The combination of temperature and battery charge level can negatively affect your battery’s longevity.

Myth 3: Li-Ion Batteries only have 300-500 charges in them before they go belly up.

- Although Li-Ion batteries are only good for 300-500 charges, it means full charge cycles. To prolong your battery’s lifetime, avoid full charge/discharge cycles whenever possible. Li-Ion batteries are much more content on partial charges. If you discharge every 30 cycles to prevent digital memory, a Li-Ion battery would easily last 2-3 years.

Myth 4: Li-Ion batteries should be stored after a full charge.

- The proper way to store your battery is to discharge it to about 40% and store it in the refrigerator. According to www.batteryuniversity.com, battery capacity decreases over time when stored at full charge. In any case, the worse thing to do is to store a completely depleted battery.

Myth 5: Fast chargers do no harm to Li-Ion batteries.

- The truth is faster chargers put more wear and tear on the battery. The same can be said about discharging. Devices with higher energy draw will deplete the battery faster and correlatively will diminish battery longevity. Here is another chart from www.batteryuniversity.com indicating the longevity of a battery given various charge/discharge rates:

Are there any other tips you have that would benefit battery life and/or longevity?

Experience Mobility Has Moved

Today we received an e-mail with some news about Experience Mobility moving their site to a new domain.  I could explain it, but it’s best to just post the information directly from their new site to explain. Make sure and visit the NEW site and update your feeds!!

Sad but true, we are starting over after finding that I was infiltrated with a serious amount of hidden SPAM within my blog.  Evidently there was a vulnerability that was exploited at sometime and no matter what we did to remove it, it kept coming back.  I suppose I could have left it there but it was just the point of having it that bothered me.  Because it was not only in the blog but was also riddled through my database, it was decided that the best tact to take was to start fresh.

So what about all my previous posts and reviews?  I am not going to make an attempt to retrieve the old posts but over time, I will try to bring back my reviews but that will be a time consuming project and I am thinking it may well be a great Winter project.

I do feel bad that there will be a lot of lost links … but life does go on.