Why I Use a Nom de Plume on this Blog

Some have e-mailed me to ask why I use a pseudonym on this blog instead of my given name.

I do it to protect the innocent.

Okay, really I do it because I don't want any hassle with those that might take issue with some of my posts. I don't mind people disagreeing with me, even arguing with me or telling me I'm full of it but I do object to the heavy-handed tactics that some like to employ.

For instance, if I legally buy a legal DVD, shouldn't I be legally able to watch that DVD? I would say yes but others disagree if I bought that legal DVD legally from another country. So I have a post describing how to counteract their restrictive measures. I don't know if the acts I describe are legal or not, and I don't really care.

My boss gave me a legal copy of software that he was no longer using that I used instead of paying for another years subscription. I described how I did that here too. I don't know if that's legal or not, and I don't really care.

Becoming the MacBook Hacker or even Grendel Khan has allowed me the opportunity to freely share the information I garnered.

I hope that explains my reasoning adequately.

This post not dugg by me as it's just an FYI.

Free CPR and Emergency Apps for the iPhone

I take the CPR refresher class that American Red Cross offers each year. I'm part of the Safety Committee at work, I have very elderly in-laws and (most importantly to me) I'm the father of a very active son - all very good reasons if anyone needs reasons. There is an excellent app put out by the American Heart Association called Pocket First Aid and CPR. However it's not free ($3.99) so here are some free alternatives.

iFirstAid has an excellent interface to walk you through all kinds of emergency situations such as CPR, bleeding, burning, choking and poisons. Some have complained that the information might not be totally accurate or up-to-date but I've not found where there is a problem. Did I mention the excellent interface?

CPR-Choking offers video instructions on how and what to do in the case of such emergency situations. Not something to pull out, sit and watch whilst someone is lying next to you in distress, it is something to watch occasionally as a good refresher.

WebMD Mobile offers a lot of excellent information such as their symptom checker, drugs and treatments database and first aid information. The CPR section, for instance, is informative (but perhaps a little wordy to go through in an emergency situation) and well worth the read. Where this app falls down, however, is that it requires a connection - not something you might have camping in the back woods. Great when it works though.

I don't think many people would claim that these apps are alternatives to taking a CPR class and becoming certified. However, they do offer good, quick reminders in case of an emergency. I might forget my skill cards but I don't forget my iPhone.

Free Guitar Apps for the iPhone: Learn Chords, Tune Your Guitar and Play in Time

Both Khan Jr. and I have recently taken up learning to play the guitar. We are not very good but we are very enthusiastic. Practicing is the only way we'll get better and there is no substitution for real life lessons. That said, there are a few tools for the iPhone that can help. Here are my top three free utilities:

1. Chords teaches the novice guitarist which strings to pluck, strum, tap to achieve any given chord. There are paid apps that do the same, you could print off a cheat sheet and there are other free apps available but this program offers a nice clean interface, all the facts and it's accurate.

2. TyroTuner uses the built in microphone on the iPhone (an extra purchase for iPod Touch users) to assess the tones of the guitar strings and provide feedback to aid tuning. Especially useful to those of us who are still learning what sounds the guitar is supposed to make, it can have utility for all levels of expertise though.

3. iTick is a metronome program that provides timing for you to play along with. Unlike other applications that just have visual metronomes (look nice, little use), iTick resonates an audible ticking pattern to which the guitarist can play along.

To finish this quick list, I'd like to also recommend a non-iPhone app that is available free to Mac users. GarageBand offers a number of free lessons that offer a complementary set of instructions to those your teacher will provide. There are also (paid) lessons provided by some notable names but these tend to be a little more advanced than the absolute novice can handle....but still offers something to which the student can aspire.

Free Photo Apps for the iPhone: Flash, Zoom and Photoshop

In a new series, I'm going to recommend three different free iPhone apps in any given category. I'll start with the camera function and photo manipulation.

Okay, so the iPhone camera has three major shortcomings. No zoom , no flash and low resolution. Well I can't do anything about the number of megapixels you can take but I can show you some solutions to the other two problems. And then some image manipulation software to try to make up for the last.

1. Camera Plus adds a zoom function to your camera. I take all my pictures through this app as there's just no downside to using it to replace the original camera app.

2. Flash for Free doesn't really give you a flash but it does provide light to your night time photos and makes them brighter.

3. Photoshop.com Mobile links to the on-line (free) photoshop editing tool (no, the on-line tool is not the same as the full version but it cost a lot less). Allows you to do simple photo manipulation on the phone before you upload to site. Integrated upload to your Photoshop.com account.

@ScotteVest and their BAD Customer Service

So the operation on my right shoulder is done. The steroids are kicking in and I can type with more than a couple of fingers on my left hand so it's time for a post that I meant to make a while back.

I contemplated not running this at all as I really don't like to interfere with a person's livelihood but I created this blog to pass on information. It always remains the consumers choice with whom they do business.


A while back, we (the Khan clan) bought some items from ScotteVest. Long time followers of the blog may recall my previous reviews of their garments (I like 'em, their shirts are among my favorites). I finally convinced the petite Mrs Khan to order one of their vests. She looked at their sizing chart and ordered a (M)edium. She order it when there was a sale on, with some items being on clearance, so there were limited return options posted. Among the limitations in the e-mail notifying customers of the sale were in one place All Sale Are Final—No Returns or Exchanges and later on, emphasized (bullet points, caps, etc.)

• ALL SALES FINAL—NO RETURNS; EXCHANGES FOR SIZE ARE OK.

Not a clear disctinction but clear enough to understand that any decent company would ensure that the customer is satisfied with the outcome.


So the order came and, well, whoever measures things at ScotteVest must have been holding their tape measure upside-down as Mrs. Khan could swim in the vest she received. So I e-mailed back and asked to exchange for a smaller size (which they still had in stock).


"No exchange, all sales final."

"What?"

"No exchange, all sales final."

"You're kidding, it says right there."

"Doesn't apply to what you bought. No exchange, all sales final."


I got in contact with the owner. He apologized for any confusion I might have had reading his post but confirmed his employees decision.


"No exchange, all sales final."

"WHAT??!?!!?"


We exchanged a few e-mails. I commended him for cleaning up his web site to eliminate the confusion ("I notice the graphics on the web page and text in red have been added also since I placed my very early order."). Evidently he hadn't. I must have been reading a cached version of the page or another women's vest page on his site. He misinterpreted my e-mail, evidently inferring that I was accusing him of acting surreptitiously and really blasted me ("it is insulting to me and my wife for you to accuse us of changing this language after your purchase" [His wife? I never mentioned his wife. I didn't even know he was married. He keeps talking about poodles. I didn't think a wife was in the picture - not that there's anything wrong with that!]).


My education was brought into question. My ability to read ("a man of your educational background should be able to read and comprehend a simple newsletter").


My ability to comprehend ("the language on the actual product pages was always clear").


I had little interest in cleaning up the misunderstanding given the tirade that followed.


Well, I look at the packing slip I got with the vests.


I've posted it below.

(Yes it's been photochopped but only to remove our mailing address).


Look about half way down.

Is that ambiguous? Is that something that can be miscomprehended?


I'll highlight it again.

"No exchange"
"Really?"

I've never seen the abbreviation OK to mean not okay before.


Is there any limitation on that Order Comment? Let's look.


I'm not seeing it.


Does it only apply to part of the order? Let's Look.


I'm not seeing it.


Clear, printed and sent out by ScotteVest.


So I told Mrs. Khan that we could take this through small claims court if she wanted but it was probably not worth the effort. But the point was mute as Mrs. Khan had already donated the vest when she went to drop off a couple of boxes of other stuff at Salvation Army.

She has no reason to keep oversized clothes.


Evidently I've been banned from buying their products in future ("We don't need nor want your business in the future").


Way to treat the customer! And really, you think I'd come back?


Contrary to the image that the owner wants to portray ("we are incredibly ethical people and run an ethical company") any warranties from ScotteVest are literally not worth the paper they're printed on.



Updates From Apple in the Works

It looks like Apple is getting ready to update a few of it's computer lines. Some of the more interesting rumors I've read recently are:

• Re-branding the MacBook (non-Pro) as a 10" high-end netbook.
• Mac Mini and iMac upgrades (just in time for the Christmas buying season).
• Elimination or major upgrade to Apple TV (depending on source).
• And, of course, the Tablet rumor that's been around for a while.

I think the most intriguing is the potential of an Apple TV upgrade. Could this be Apple's intro into Blu-Ray (finally) and DVR-done-right (though TiVo have it almost there). I don't see the market for a tablet....but others may.

Is iGoogle Short-Changing Mozilla

It has been reported that Mozilla makes a lot of it's money from Google. Google pays Mozilla for each search that is performed in the little search box in the corner of their Firefox browser. I think they have a similar deal with other browser makers.

I've set my homepage to my iGoogle page. It offers me functionality I like.

I've noticed that if I open a new browser window that points to iGoogle, I can't type more than 4 or 5 characters in the Firefox search box before the text jumps down to the Google search box in iGoogle.

This is inconvenient as it usually jumps in the middle of a word so I have to re-type the search term. I've ignored it for a while but listening to John C. Dvorak's recent Tech5 podcast got me thinking. He asserts that Google is developing Chrome so they don't have to pay other companies for that captured search term.

Is it possible that this poor functionality in iGoogle is also to short-change other browser creators?

You have to wonder?

Or perhaps I've been listening to too many episodes of No Agenda and I'm seeing conspiracies everywhere.

(My second anti-Google post in a couple of weeks. I thought these guys were supposed to do no evil).