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2007

  • 2 min read

Label printer very handy around the office

A few years ago I got the idea to get myself a label printer for around the office. Turns out that it's been really really handy.

Almost all the labels that I've printed have been for the myriad of cables, chargers and other doo-dads that one accumulates in this business. Labels like: "Sprint Sanyo Phone", "Garmin GPS data cable", and "iPod Firewire" become incredibly useful when you are trying to figure out what goes with what.

More mainstream uses are for labeling files in my filing system (such as it is), my wiring closet (such as it is), and various expensive electronica (like my laptop.)

Suffice it to say that these things are great. The one I have been using is the Casio Ez-Label Printer KL-100. (I got it at Staples, but it seems to no longer be available.)

I was asked to take a look at one of the label makers from Cableorganizer.com, in particular the Brother PT-80.

The unit comes in one of those "open only" clear plastic sealed containers which can never be resealed again and on which there is always a danger of cutting your fingers. What caught my eye was the big bold "Easy to Use" on the package.

My experience is that these things are jam packed with features you don't need (really all you need is a keyboard, a way to cut the label, a way to refill it when the label runs out, and maybe a shift key. Everything else is gravy.) It turns out that the PT-80 is not especially easier to use. But it's still pretty nice.

One nice thing right off the bat is that this Brother uses 4 triple-A batteries instead of 6 double-A's which my other one requires. Other than that the device is quite similar to my Casio. The Brother's keyboard is a little clearer with the shift keys a bit easier to find.

In the end, I would recommend either unit, and I would check the comparable prices for the unit as well as the media.

Bottom line though, every office and home should have one of these label printers. They are great!

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  • 1 min read

From the WSJ: A Summer Myth Debunked

Check out this post from WSJ.com: Health Blog:

Contrary to the earlier paper’s assumptions, Dr. Godar et al. found that children aren’t outdoors more than adults: “Surprisingly, it is adults over the age of 40, i.e. 41–59 and 60+ years, especially men, who get the highest UV doses.” They added that a rise in incidence of skin cancer “may have occurred because adults assumed that they no longer had to worry about getting too much UV exposure because they were told that most of the damage was done before 19 years of age.

(from: A Summer Myth Debunked)

  • 1 min read

Interesting article about buying and selling real estate: “Another Look at ‘Sellers’ Concessions’ in Real Estate”

Check out this post from Freakonomics Blog:

In order to buy a home, one typically needs to save 10 to 20% of the purchase price for a down payment. The remainder of the purchase price is typically financed by a mortgage. The need to save for a down payment is one of the biggest barriers for someone wanting to be a home owner. It involves living below one’s means; saving for several years; and discipline. To the bank, however, this all means that the new home owner has a vested interest in making their mortgage payments since their life savings is invested in the home from Day 1.

(from : Another Look at “Sellers’ Concessions” in Real Estate)

Read the article, it poses an interesting connundrum.

  • 1 min read

Good article about TechCrunch and Michael Arrington in Wired

I haven't seen anyone pointing to this article about TechCrunch and Professor Arrington, but it's very interesting. I remember when it was first starting and how he would write an unbelievable number of interesting and useful reviews about new products. Mike Arrington was a machine! Say what you will about him, TechCrunch is the labor of some extremely hard work:

"Of course, Arrington's success is about more than partying like a frat boy and schmoozing like a Hollywood agent at a cast party. With the exception of a three-week vacation (during which he worked half-time) at the end of 2006, he says he has worked every day for two years straight.

He gets up at about 10 or 11 am, is at his desk 10 seconds later, and tends to the business side of his operation until early evening, seeing entrepreneurs, doing phone interviews, tracking the news of the day, and writing posts. He's often at parties or other events until 10. It's typically not until 10 or 11 pm, when things quiet down, that he has time to think and write more thoughtful, analytical blog entries. "I've actually cut back," he says. " from TecCrunch Blogger Michael Arrington Can Generate Buzz

Learn all about TechCrunch and Michael Arrington

Technorati Tags: techcrunch arrington

  • 1 min read

AAPL: Short or Long?

With all the unbelievable hoopla around the imminent release of the iPhone my thinking turns to the APPL stock price. Right now the Apple stock price at an all time high of $123.00 per share. The iPhone is coming out in one week.

What will the stock price do?

Arguments for shorting AAPL:

  • Right off the bat, my bias and superstition is that if a stock is at an all time high, then odds are better that it goes down than up.
  • You might say that "Buy on the rumor and sell on the story" doesn't exactly apply here, given that it's no rumor that the iPhone is going to come out next week. You can hardly miss it.
  • Yes, but there are rumors that will be proven right or wrong in the coming weeks:
    • Will the iPhone fly off the shelves as expected?
    • Is there enough inventory to deal with the demand?
    • Will the Cingular/AT&T network survive the onslaught?
    • Will the phone perform?
    • Will we miss a regular keyboard?

Arguments for buying APPL:

  • All indications are that the iPhone will be another watershed event that changes everything, like the iPod did in its time.
  • We have only started seeing the marketing push that the Cingular/Apple combination is going to bring to bear.
  • The iPhone will be immensely profitable for Apple, more than anticipated, which will drive up the stock price

What do you think?

  • 1 min read

iPhone crowd control: Top Secret Plans

Check out this post from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW):

"Among the methods featured in the document to help ease the situation and control the crowd, is an outline of a mock conversation where AT&T store managers explain to the stores near them why they need to stay open late and what steps they will be taking to help ensure the crowds don't spill into the surrounding stores and do all kinda damage. The document also reveals the super-secret method that will actually accomplish this miraculous controlling of the crowd. What is this miracle you may wonder? Stanchions. Yes, the proverbial "velvet rope" they use to keep people in line at events across America will be standing guard and providing security for the giant iPhone launch event."

(from : iPhone Crowd Control)

Can we just get a life already?

  • 2 min read

Back pain relief or fraud?

A friend of mine has been experiencing debilitating back pain for a year now. He's seen pain specialists, surgeons and so on, and so far the only treatment has been pain medications, strong ones. He is desperate.

He recently came across an advertisement for treatment with a device called the DRX 9000. I've been reading about this treatment on the web and find positive reports apparently concentrated on a few sites, and then sporadic reports of shady dealings, FBI investigations and so on.

Here are some links and quotes I was able to find. Do you know anything about this one way or another? Please comment or email me!

Back pain treatment scrutinized: "It sounded like it was well worth the money," Dorjath said. "But it didn't work. I had so much pain afterwards, I literally couldn't walk." but in the same article: "After the third treatment, I could see a big difference," said Debbie Cino, 54, of San Jose. Cino said an extra vertebra in her back made it difficult for her to sit or stand for long periods, and the treatment helped. "I think it's wonderful," she said.

Surgery Not Only Alernative For Back Pain: "They come in on the machine and their bodies are immediately relaxed and their muscle spasms are decreased and the separation of the bones causes the pressure to be off the nerves, decreasing their symptoms," Stafford said."

DRX 9000 Maker Under Investigation: "What can you do? Educate, educate, educate. Don't be afraid to tell people the truth. There is NO literature that shows the DRX 9000 to be more beneficial than standard traction and not much literature that shows traction, in general is helpful."

FBI Raids Medical Supply Business: "TAMPA - Agents from the FBI raided Axiom Worldwide this morning, carrying boxes and bags to a large white van parked in a disabled parking spot in front of the business."

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