News: January 2001

January 29, 2001
Having watched the Super Bowl ads yesterday in hopes of finding a winner (pretty much disappointment all around), I thought I'd offer my take on the ads.

First and foremost, I basically hated the Pepsi ads that The Oregonian thought were so clever. I found them witless or poorly executed, sometimes both. Their most redeeming feature was the lack of that little annoying girl.

The Cingular spots were for the most part moronic. So they're a wireless company in favor of self-expression. Does that mean Sprint and the others are opposed? Good grief, give me a product benefit, not blurb on the magic of the First Amendment.

EDS followed last year's overrated cat herding bit with the running of the squirrels through the streets of Pamplona. Like the cats, this has next to nothing to do with EDS, but it made for a cute commercial. Not as funny as the cats and probably not worth the $2 million it cost, but one of the better ones.

The Budweiser spots were mixed, though better than most of the competition. Don't know which ad agency has the Bud account, but their sense of humor is pretty good on the whole. The Alien Wazzup bit was all right, and the preppy "What Are You Doing?" spot was a decent takeoff.

Mastercard's Letter B was a good twist to their normally annoying, overly earnest "priceless" campaign.

Hotjobs.com and Monster.com? <shrug>

E-Trade's Dot-Com Graveyard probably gets my vote as the funniest, but it only works if you get the reference to the Indian crying about America's litter in a public service announcement from the late '70s.

In terms of all-time great Super Bowl ads, none of this year's crop will join the list. I think it was a USA Today poll that ranked Coke's Mean Joe Greene ad as number one and Apple's 1984 second. While I think that the Apple ad is far and away the best Super Bowl ad ever, I'm content to say that if the Mac is going to lose, it might as well be to a Steeler.

Anyone who's interested can see all of this year's SuperBowl ads in streaming QuickTime at Ad Critic.

I've updated the For Sale section of the site with lots of additional CD recommendations, all available for purchase via Amazon.com. If you click through from Davison Online and then purchase the CD, I get paid a commission. Why you'd want to do this, I dunno, but you're welcome to do so if you'd like to make me money. I wouldn't mind that at all.

I've also updated the Who I Am section by adding links and information about various group which receive my time and financial support.

I'll be hoping to have a few more updates to the site over the course of the next couple of weeks. We're on the cusp of completing 4 years of Davison Online hijinks, which means I ought to be graduating from high school any day now.

January 28, 2001
Erin and I were thinking about catching a movie during today's Super Bowl action, figuring that the theaters would be empty, but it's the end of the semester with grades due tomorrow, so we ended up doing a lot grade stuff and watching the game instead. (Of course it can't really be a "super" Super Bowl without the Steelers, but anyway....)

I reread the opening few chapters this morning in Dr. M. Scott Peck's brilliant The Road Less Traveled. Incomparably good stuff about the psychology and spirituality of love. As I've said before, it's highly recommended (see my For Sale section if you're looking to buy via Amazon.com) and one of the best books I've ever read.

January 27, 2001
Headed up to Portland to help Dennis move to his new digs in Hillsboro. Dennis, Mike, Joe and I made fairly short work of everything in terms of load and unloading. The only real delay came when Mike decided not to follow the directions to the new house, and he and I ended up taking an extra 30 minutes to get there. Sorry to keep Dennis and Joe waiting, but I did actually rather enjoyed seeing Hillsboro.

I also enjoyed taking a brief peek at Dennis' as-yet-unnamed G4 Tower. Very nice. It's speedy, the price was excellent, and it is, like all the tower machines, highly expandable. Cool Diamondtron monitor, too.

January 26, 2001
I did a little tree pruning out front and raked more leaves. There's still a long way to go on both jobs, and the weekly yard debris can fills up in a hurry during the winter. Every time I'm out there, though, I keep getting landscaping ideas, and I'm looking forward to making a few of them a reality in the Spring. I know I won't get them all accomplished this year, but I think I can be content with what progress I do make.

Those wizards at Mark of the Unicorn have gone and complicated my life by releasing a new digital audio recorder. It's a $795 gizmo which uses FireWire for its computer I/O. That makes it the least expensive professional recording solution for PowerBook owners by a large margin.

The MOTU 1224 recorder I was looking at costs $1295, uses a PCI slot (Zeke's got 2 free), and communicates to the host computer through a high speed I/O connection called AudioWire.

I'm pretty confident in saying that I'll be buying one of these this year. I just don't know which one, and now I'm going to have to do a whole bunch of research to figure it out.

In the meanwhile, I've been reacquainting myself with the Roland XP-80 keyboard by writing new bits. The latest is a 30 second chorus to a techno song called Stain. Currently, the entirety of the lyrics read:

One man
Killing time
Outstretched hands
Stained for life

I suppose multiple meanings revolving around Christianity have been done to death (hehe—get it?), but regardless of topic I tend to prefer such depth, so ya all are gonna be stuck with peeling back the layers of the lyrics once my album comes out.

Or you can do what I do and just listen to the music. (Hehe)

January 25, 2001
I completed our federal and state taxes today thanks to the power of Intuit's TurboTax for Mac (formerly MacInTax). Certainly there are some situations where taxes are complex enough to warrant a CPA's help and there are some situations where the tax paperwork requirement is so minimal that a person needs no help at all. For the overwhelming majority, though, I highly recommend TurboTax (and the TurboTax state edition). This is as close to "fun and painless" as you're ever going to find when it comes to filling out tax forms.

Unlike every year in recent memory Erin and I will actually get money back this year. That's thanks mostly to our being able to itemize for the first time ever. Home ownership is expensive, but the tax breaks are enormous. Since all our mortgage interest and real estate taxes are tax-deductible, we bypassed the standard $7k-ish exemption and just kept right on going. It also didn't hurt that the France trip was partially deductible (since Erin's a French teacher).

SiteRev.com declared a profit for 2000, a move that I hadn't really anticipated happening so soon, but something I expect to be true for 2001 as well. In fact, I'm setting up for quarterly estimated tax payments now as a result. That's the price of success I suppose.

To accommodate a growing list of equipment, I've rearranged the office so that Zeke is over by all the audio production equipment. At one point I thought this room was plenty big enough, but now I'm thinking that a remodel—whatever that happens—will need to blow back the east wall by a good 3-4 feet. I'm planning on putting a digital video editing suite in here eventually too (though that's at least 2-3 years off).

In the meantime, Zeke will still be connected into the ethernet network, but this way, I can also record digital audio straight in from the XP-80. I'll be aiming to pick up a 17" monitor next month at the PMUG swap meet, but other than that Zeke is ready for action. Which means that the production of my album continues to take steps forward.

January 22, 2001
Cold symptoms dying down, I spent most of today playing with Adobe LiveMotion trying to get a Flash file put together for the new SiteRev.com site. Despite a few hours of work, the end result thus far is less than acceptable. It works great within LiveMotion, but the Flash file that gets exported doesn't do what the LiveMotion file does. That's hardly helpful, so I'm gonna need to study some more.

I finished Leon Uris' A God in Ruins over the weekend. SPOILER WARNING: Do not read the rest of this entry unless you want the book spoiled. In this case, this may prove not to be much of a loss.

Uris is a competent storyteller—levels above, say, John Grisham—but this is by no means a very good book. The writing is highly politicized—good grief what a Clinton apologist—and poorly defended. I'm in favor of gun control, but it's unrealistic to think that a candidate will have a viable candidacy if their stance is to delete the Second Amendment.

Also unrealistic is a plot which relies heavily on an anti-Jewish sentiment that I have a hard time believing still exists in America. In Ruins, a presidential candidate who was adopted as a child finds out he came from Jewish parents. Supposedly this is a big deal in the midst of a presidential campaign, but we didn't see synagogues a-burning when Joe Lieberman ran on the Democratic ticket.

Ultimately, the value of the book may be that Uris himself is providing insight into Jewish psychology. I don't know if the Holocaust caused or only exacerbated a Jewish feeling of persecution, but in Uris' story we see it clearly manifest, and that may actually be the most interesting thing about a work which I'd otherwise grade as below average at best. I've not read it yet, but I hear that Uris' Trinity is much better.

January 20, 2001
Both Bret and Dave ignored the quarantine signs posted about the house and stopped by for a visit today. Bret so that he could cart some more stuff of his off to his place in Portland, and Dave so that...well, actually, I don't know why Dave stopped by. Hehe. But he spent the night and we had a good time anyway.

Happily, more sore throat is pretty much gone, and except that I'm frequently sneezing, my nose is running, and my head is congested, I feel fine. That's a step forward. Really.

Erin and I watched The Green Mile, director Frank Darabont's follow-up to the brilliant The Shawshank Redemption. My quick take: Unsubtle and gruesome.

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read the rest of this entry unless you want the movie spoiled.

Despite winning performances from Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan and the rest of the cast, the story lacks subtlety on several levels. This film is not nearly as good as it could or should have been given the quality of the acting and the production. We get good guys and bad guys, moral blacks-and-whites, and plenty of one-layer-deep symbolism. At over three hours, it's a tribute to Darabont's skill as a director that he's able to keep the story moving and interesting. Nonetheless, this story could've been cut by 15 to 30 minutes and been hardly the worse off for it.

Among the scenes that should have been cut are two terribly gruesome electric chair executions, one of which ranks up there with the sickest thing I've ever seen in cinema. I don't consider myself terribly squeamish, but this was downright revolting.

There is excellent work here, and it seems a shame not to recommend something that has a lot going for it, but the writing and editing should have been better, and frankly, there are scenes in this movie that no one should ever have to see. See The Shawshank Redemption (again) instead.

January 18, 2001
Spent yesterday doing client work up in Portland, and it was a good thing too, because today I've been hit full-force with a cold and sore throat. Ended up sleeping the day away, and I'm still exhausted. This is going to get worse before it gets better, I can tell.

I went to a dental appointment late in the day after receiving assurances that they didn't care whether I had a cold or not. That seemed strange to me, but I suppose they're wearing gloves and masks, so they figure they're as protected as they can be. Good check up anyway, but it's another one of those things that I'm glad is over. I am, as I say, on the downward slide right now, and I expect to feel markedly worse tomorrow.

We've dumped another $700 into our car this month. We've taken to calling the Mazda "Six" as in "Six of 626" (like some kind of automotive Seven of Nine). This would be, I'm sure, much funnier if you'd all been there. It also helps if you've seen Star Trek: Voyager, but I digress.

We've fixed the control arm bushings, main motor mount, thermostat, and more. Six has a working heater now which in and of itself is worth $700 given some of these cold January days. Trust me, it's an immeasurably more pleasant driving experience.

January 13, 2001
Dave and I rolled up the freeway through rain, sleet, snow, and sun, going from Los Altos to Salem in about 12 hours. (We stopped for breakfast and, briefly, for lunch.) Along the way, we tested the Jeep's audio system bass response and found it pretty darn good. Thump, thump, thump. Of course most of my hearing is gone, but oh yes it was worth it.

We pulled into Salem around 6:30 PM, concluding an excellent MacWorld, a super pair of West Coast drives, and a great week. Many thanks to the Lillys for their fine hospitality and excellent meals. Thanks also the Neris and Petersons for dinner and conversation. Dave and I are both deeply appreciative.

Finally, big thanks to Dave for using up his precious vacation time to go cavorting down to San Francisco with a Mac-loving computer geek like me. I could've done with it with him—I did last year—but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.

Waiting for me in Salem was a package I ordered which represented the conclusion to literally years of searching. Erin and I visited her sister Christine years ago when she was in college. Her roommate had a Seseme Street book called Grover's Bad, Awful Day. Erin, a lover of all things Seseme Street, wanted to get a copy. So I did a little searching. Out of print. So I did out of print searches. I visited Powell's repeatedly. I signed up with Amazon.com's Out of Print Search. I looked for it every time I went into a used book shop. In short, I looked for about 10 years to find this frickin' little book.

Well, I found it (finally!) at Half.com, a web site store that specializes in low-prices goods that maybe just about nobody wants any more. I ordered it and didn't tell Erin since I didn't want her to be disappointed if it didn't arrive or something happened. But it was delivered this week in my absence, and I was able to give it to Erin.

That's 10 years worth of brownie points, but let me tell you, I earned them.

January 12, 2001—Los Altos, California
Lots for me to see and do on the final MacWorld SF 2001 day, and so I did them. Talked with all kinds reps, product managers, developers, etc. Had a good ol' time. I'm happy to say that I feel like I accomplished everything I wanted to in going to MacWorld.

Afterward, Dave and I trotted over to Redwood City to see Mark, Christine, and Jared. My nephew seem to be growing bigger all the time. It's only been two weeks since I saw him last, and I'd swear he's grown.

Mark and I went over the video of my house that he made when visiting Erin and me in Salem a few months ago. Boy, that roof is a mess. Looks like with a little help (howdy Dave! Hi friends!) I should be able to shore up the garage roof without difficulty, but the main roof is going to be a task for professionals. Since I don't even merit the title of "talented amateur" that means someone else. Minimally, we'll probably look at handling the front overhang within the next 60 days.

January 11, 2001—Los Altos, California
Pretty much a lounge-around day for me as I took a break from MacWorld to just get some sleep, do some reading, and decompress from all the activities of the last few days. I'll be heading for Day 4 of MacWorld tomorrow though.

For what it's worth, my back feels great. Perhaps the best it has felt in years.

January 10, 2001—Los Altos, California
Dave took off to spend a couple of days with his brother Kevin (who Erin and I met with over in Paris during the summer) while I returned to the friendly confines of the Moscone Center for Day 2 of MacWorld craziness. Despite not getting nearly enough sleep, I made it through all the vendor presentations in which I was interested in the North Hall and more than a few in the South Hall. As a result, I'm taking tomorrow off (to sleep if nothing else!), and I'll wrap things up on Friday.

I did end up buying a $50 back support device which provided the most pleasant sitting experience I've ever had. Now, sure, I'd been walking the cement floors of the Expo hall all day; they probably could've put me face down in a mud puddle and it would've felt ok. Still, this gizmo was truly wonderful. By maintaining correct posture in the lumbar region, the device allows the vertebrae to uncompress while a person is in a seated position (normally you have to lay down for an extended period to achieve this), and I'm here to tell you that it felt great. You should have seen the smiles on the faces of all the folks who were sitting around trying these things on. It was like a party in heaven.

I tried it out again when I got back to the Lillys, and got the same results. My back feels marvelous, and as someone who's done his share of back pain, even if the rest of MacWorld was a complete disaster—it's not—this gizmo would've made it worthwhile.

January 9, 2001—Los Altos, California
Busy, busy day for Dave and I as we took in the craziness that is MacWorld SF. (Details on what we encountered in the Mac section.) We returned from Day 1 to a wonderful dinner with friends Michael and Marilyn. (Thank you!) We also got the chance to play a little with Marilyn's iMac DV SE, and let me tell you that for my money those graphite models are still the prettiest iMacs ever made.

Dave will be spending most of tomorrow with his brother Kevin while I go back to MacWorld for Day 2. Given the chaos of today, I doubt that I'll be taking Trinity with me. I'm sorely tempted, because it would make it very easy to log on to the net and to try things out, but there's no essential business purpose to it and I don't really want the responsibility of looking after it. (There should be another update tomorrow night, though.)

January 8, 2001—Los Altos, California
Dave and I got off to a wonderfully early start and had a great drive down, marred only by my forgetting to pack the California map. So we took the wrong exit and added another 45 minutes to our trip. Sure it looked like familiar scenery—we were on the road to Oakdale, where Erin's aunt and uncle live. Doh!

Despite my daft maneuver, we rolled into Los Altos and were greeted with open arms by Erin's parents, Bernard and Liz. After a 13 hour journey (we stopped for both breakfast and lunch; it's about 11 hours as a straight shot), we were more than ready to eat dinner and collapse. Continuing thanks to the Lillys for their hospitality!

Congratulations to Dennis for swooping in and taking advantage of a great deal on a new G4/400. Apple's been price-reducing like crazy to clear inventory before MacWorld on Tuesday, and I don't know that I've seen a better computer value than the $1299 G4/400 deal that's in the pipeline right now. (The specs for those interested: G4/400-MHz, 1 MB L2 cache, 64 MB RAM, 20 GB HD, DVD-ROM, Rage 128 Pro video card, Gigabit ethernet, 56k modem.)

I only wish I could concoct a "business necessity" so that I could justify (well, rationalize, anyway) my own G4 purchase. Hehe.

January 5, 2001
I was going to head to Portland today, but I was so dizzy this morning that I got out of bed and promptly lurched into one wall after another. Quickly tiring of this human pinball routine, I took a few moments to steady myself, and sure enough, my equilibrium more or less returned. I still didn't feel 100 percent, and fearing this was the onset of the flu, I called my client and explained the situation. (I struggled mightily in trying to decide if I felt well enough to make it up to Portland, finally deciding that if I didn't, I-5 probably wasn't the best place to discover this.)

So I did a fair amount of the day's work between naps. Daytime sleeping obviously reduced my productivity (and profit) for the day, but better safe than not, and I've got to be ready for a road trip to MacWorld SF 2001 on Monday.

January 3, 2001
I was working up in Portland again yesterday, and I'll be headed up Friday as well. On December 23 I finished the catalogue I was laying out in Adobe InDesign 1.5, and we should have the printed results soon. Most of yesterday I spent putting together an online auction system. Written in Perl (a web server-based scripting language), this is one of the more challenging projects I've tackled in some time. It's also one of the more interesting, and I find myself eager for Friday's work.

Latest update on January 29, 2001
Feedback: [email protected]