iCID, RTFP: never assume

Discrete components are okay, up to a point. I've had CallerID at home for eons, but initially retrofitted my corded phones with separate boxes to perform the CallerID magic. Then I bought a cordless phone which had integrated CallerID (let's call it iCID). Then came my iCID television! Heck, I even suspect my washer/dryer of having iCID.

Finally, it is time to Take The Plunge (jump in with both feet, leap into the breach, leave a crossroads, make my move, pass the Rubicon, take the bull by the horns, bite the bullet) and update my corded phones to iCID. So, it's off to the web I go. Shopping for telephones at a retail store is pointless; I can never find the feature mix I want, at the price I want (as near to FREE as possible).

The new ones (Panasonic KX-TS3282W) arrived via DHL yesterday, and are now installed. They have a similar look-and-feel to my cordless units (I bought the same brand, so the Learning Curve would be less). In addition to iCID, they have a real directory (wow!), adjustable ring, and a buncha stuff that's not obvious. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet (ouch!) and Read The Fine (Fantastic?) Manual [RTFM].

Deep Thought #64: Why don't cordless/corded phones have downloadable RingTones (like cellphones)? I smell a Market Opportunity.

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Unrelated: while in graduate school (when pterodactyls roamed the Earth) one of my professors wrote "RTP" on a student's quiz. The student asked what it meant, and was told Read The Problem. Obviously, he hadn't done so.

On another student's quiz, the prof had written "RTFP"; when the student complained of the assumed insult, he was told that it meant Read The Fine Print. Moral: never assume that You've Been Dissed.

day late, dollar short

You, my faithful readers, will be ecstatic to know that I updated the Sundry on Thursday blog one day early. Yeah, I know: WOW!

Judy-Bob told me about the "Wings of Freedom Tour" at Dallas Love Field's Frontiers of Flight Museum. Too bad I didn't know about the WoF Tour until after the fact. I wonder how that museum compares to the Cavanaugh Flight Museum (Addison Airport). Maybe I should call SkyHigh Airlines and book a flight today?

Tornado Watch

I could be wrong (it happened once before, a long time ago) but I think today is the first Tornado Watch of 2005 for the Metroplex:

TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ANDERSON BOWIE CAMP CASS CHEROKEE COLLIN DALLAS DELTA DENTON ELLIS FANNIN FRANKLIN FREESTONE GRAYSON GREGG HARRISON HENDERSON HILL HOPKINS HUNT JOHNSON KAUFMAN LAMAR LIMESTONE MARION MCLENNAN MORRIS NACOGDOCHES NAVARRO PANOLA RAINS RED RIVER ROCKWALL RUSK SMITH TARRANT TITUS UPSHUR VAN ZANDT WOOD

A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS....

Deep Thought # 63: ... and I thought a Tornado Watch was a timepiece worn during severe weather ...

Alas, today's Watch expires @ 9pm CDT.

hexadecimal

The George turned 29 today: woo hoo!

save me from myself

Best I can tell, I have 18 time keeping devices. Only 4 of those automatically update themselves for Daylight Saving Time: a wall clock, the DVD player and the CallerID boxes (attached to the wired phones).

So, at 2am I scampered around the house, adding one hour to every device, as I dutifully sprung forward. Did I miss any clocks? Probably.

I bought some DVDs, only to come home to discover that I already own 3 of them, so a return trip is in my future. Hmm .. I already logged all of these in my PDA so I wouldn't do this again. Only problem: I didn't take my PDA to the store. Argh! I suspect that retail stores secretly love returns, as it gets you back in their store (often the most difficult challenge with retail).

Fare and Unbalanced

Fox "News" blew it Friday, by mis-translating an Italian news report and announcing the Pope's death more than 25 hours before it really happened. I'm tempted to buy the FOX Blocker, which is a nifty gadget that neuters the Radical Right's TV Channel. The only reason I won't buy it is because I don't watch Rupert Murdoch's laughable excuse for journalism.

Interestingly, there is no apology on their web site, as they refuse to take responsibility for anything. The least they could've done is rewrite the headline to:

Pope John Paul II Dead at 84
THIS TIME WE'RE SERIOUS

"ha ha" .. indeed!

Yes, I know it's April Fool's Day, but I have yet to use my Gift of Humor on anyone today. Well, the day's not over yet.

Speaking of humor, I TiVo'd Comedy Central's The Hollow Men recently, and watched it today. It reminds me of Kids in the Hall (a troupe of gay actors), but funnier. I'd suggest you watch it quickly; once the Radical Right discovers it, the show will be banned from US airwaves.

In the meantime, feel free to read yesterday's Sundry on Thursday posting. I'm catching up on some old PDA notes, and things there should return to normal Real Soon Now.

If you're looking for something serious to read today, may I suggest Digital Web Magazine's Innovative Design Inspired by Accessibility