Getting Juiced! (LaLanne vs Breville)

My dear wife bought me a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Express for my birthday recently.  I have been wanting a juicer for a while, but it's been difficult to justify spending the cash to "give it a try".  I imagine there are millions of juicers sitting in cupboards around the world that have been used less than 10 times (along with many other specialty household appliances).  Juicing is one of those things that you have to just commit to and run with it to see how far you can take it. I'm less than a week into this, so I'll not even pretend that my juicer won't end up in the cupboard with the blender we never use, next to the extra coffee maker, and the rice cooker. ; )

So anyway....I really liked the Jack LaLanne Juicer. Knowing nothing about juicers...that was what I expected to be the "one to get".  In fact, I went out of my way to make sure my wife knew that if I were shopping for a juicer on my own...that's the one I would have bought.  It's important for her to know that....because it became clear to me that it wasn't a keeper. I really liked that juicer, until I used it.

I decided to start juicing using the "Mean Green" Recipe from the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead."  (Great watch, by the way!)  Basically it incorporates kale, celery, cucumber, green apples, ginger, and lemon. I modified it a bit by using kale and spinach...rather than just kale. I have no idea why, it just sounded like something to try.


Use #1

Everything went okay, until the apples that is.  It had a hard time juicing the apples, and took lots of pressure with the pusher to get them through. In the end, juice was to be had.

Use #2

Same as before, except when I got to the apples...the juicer literally tried to juice itself.  As I was pushing down to get it to take the apples (cut into quarters) I started to smell melting plastic and shut it down to find little bits of black plastic all over.  I found that the feed tube was somehow being carved away by the juicing blade. Hmm...okay. Back to the store you go.

I exchanged it for another of the same kind. I figured maybe I just got a bad one.

Use #1

Same problem as before.  It just didn't have enough guts to juice the apples without a lot of effort.

After a little quick research, I decided to bring home a Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE98XL.  It only cost a little more than the Jack LaLanne, but seemed to have quite a bit more power. It was also the same juicer used in "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" so it had that going for it. It was time for a face-off!

Well, it wasn't much of a battle.  After one use of the Breville, it became clear that it was the juicer for me. It is awesome. There really is no comparison.  It handles the apples with ease, and literally sucks in the vegetables and spits out juice. It reminded me of the first time I demo'd a high power vacuum after using cheap-o vacs for all those years (we still have and love our Kirby, by the way).

Anyway...I have used the Breville 3-4 times now, and not a hitch.   It's a keeper.  Jack LaLanne has gone back to the store.  It might be a great juicer for soft veggies and fruits, but I just couldn't hang on to something that couldn't make easy work of an apple...since that tends to be a staple in juicing.  I won't do a full review of the Breville, since there are tons of them on the Interwebs already. I'm just letting you know my preference in case you're trying to make a similar decision. 

Now...off to juice up my after-dinner snack!

Arduino UNO R3 :: It's Geek Project Time!

Look what I got today....

Let the fun begin.   ; -)

In case you are wondering, its an Arduino UNO R3. It just showed up in the mail today...just in time for a "geek project" night that I've got planned for tomorrow.  I'm starting off simple with my Arduino projects. I plan on building a high speed flash trigger that will trigger a strobe based on inputs of sound or breaking a laser beam.  It should be a fun starter project. 

I couldn't resist playing around...just a little bit.

My Approach :: Notification of Amazon Free Android App of the Day

I recently ditched the iOS ecosystem for an Android device. Not for any political reason like #boycottapple or anything silly crazy agressive hater like that. It wasn't because of cost. It wasn't because of Apple's slowly declining market share (if that really is the case).  The reality is that it was about timing and boredom. I was getting bored with iOS, I needed a new phone, and the next iPhone is still several months out.  I ditched Android for iPhone several years ago...and I guess now the pendulum is swinging the other direction.  But...this post isn't to talk about my switch from iPhone to my smokin hot new Samsung Galaxy S3 on AT&T. ;-) It's to talk about how I chose to get notifications of Amazon's Free Android App of the Day to my device...and how you can as well.

It wasn't long after switching back to Android that I was getting advice about installing Amazon AppStore because each day they offer a paid app for free. (Thanks Kevin!) It seems sometimes it's a lame app that should be free...sometimes its a decent app...and sometimes its a killer app that is a nugget of gold hidden in the dirt. Okay...cool.

"How do you get notified of what each day's free app is?" I asked. "You have to check it every day," I was told.  Okay. I can do that.

Yeah...that lasted about a week (or less).  I couldn't remember to check Amazon each day.  I was fearful that I was going to miss out on a really amazing app because I failed to check it that day.

I began looking into ways to get notified.  I did find several apps on the Google Play Store that claim to do this for you...but I really hate to install an app just for this.  Many seem to come with ads and junk...and well...there had to be a better way.

I started thinking about it...and the way was already available to me on my GS3. I have an app named Tasker for Android. I have been using this app to play with location and state based tasks.  It's REALLY cool, and almost limitless in possibility. Some examples of how I use Tasker:

• Disable keyguard when I am connected to my home WiFi network
• Re-enable it when I am away from home
• Disable WiFi when I am away from home
• Re-enable it when I am in my neighborhood so that I can re-connect as I arrive home.
• Disable keyguard when my phone is connected to my car's bluetooth
• Re-enable it when I turn off my car
• If I am at work, and I place my phone face down, turn on airplane mode so it doesn't eat battery while in a place where it can't get service.
• Etc, Etc, Etc

Tasker is great, and really great if you like to tinker and play with a light bit of pseudo-code.  One thing that Tasker can do is to make http requests...so...I decided to use that to help me with my Amazon Free Android App of the Day situation. 

I have a project in Tasker that consists of the following:

• At 0500 each morning, do the following:
• Go to the Amazon website where the Free App of the Day is posted
• Parse that web page for the following:
• App Name
• App Description
• Fire a notification that tells me what the app name is.
• When I click the notification, open a popup that gives me the description
• When I click a button on the popup, take me to the Amazon App

It's really that simple.  If the name catches my attention, then I can get the description.  If I am still interested, I can go straight to the Amazon App Store and read the reviews and see the screen shots. 

So now, each morning I am presented with the latest free app.  No extra apps to download (I already had Tasker) and no ads to have to click through, and exactly what I want to see. 

I debated what information I wanted to pull.  Do I care what the original price was?  Eh...not really.  But I may add that later.  Maybe not. 

Anyway...so here is what it looks like:

Here is the notification that displays when the task fires.  (FAAD is short for Free Android App of the Day, and it's the convention that Amazon uses in the webpage source.)  

Word Shaker, btw, was a really cool game that I did take advantage of while it was free.  Still available as I type this... ; -)

When I pull down the notification list, you can see the FAAD Notification.

Now, if I am not interested in Word Shaker, I can just dismiss the app, but if I want to see the description, I can simply touch the notification to get my popup.  I didn't spend any time on the popup to make it look good...I just wanted something functional.

It ought to be obvious by now, but if I select "Go To Amazon," I am taken straight to the Amazon App Store where the Free App of the Day is found at the top of the display. Once here, I can check it out further and download it if I choose to do so. 

That's about it.  It's pretty simple.  Now I just watch my notifications each day for that super-awesome-must-have-free-app!

If you want to use this, or take it and make it better, you are free to do so.  You're ahead of the game if you already have and use Tasker.  If not...there is a bit of a learning curve.  

Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll save you some trouble.  ; - )

Here is my .xml export of the project.  You can just save all of this text as an .xml and import it directly into Tasker. It should work for you.  (You must have the Amazon App Store installed as well as Tasker.)  Of course, all of this is dependent upon Amazon not changing the layout of their website.  There are certainly easier and more efficient ways to this.  This is just the method I chose. Feel free to be more awesome than me and do it better. It's okay. : - )

************** BEGIN XML *********************

<class cl="TaskerData" sr="">

<tv>1.2.1u1m</tv>

<class cl="Profile" sr="prof41">

<cdate>1341781539687</cdate>

<edate>1342132467123</edate>

<id>41</id>

<mid0>59</mid0>

<nme>Get Free App</nme>

<class cl="TimeContext" sr="con0">

<fh>5</fh>

<fm>0</fm>

<th>5</th>

<tm>0</tm>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Profile" sr="prof9">

<cdate>1341780845630</cdate>

<clp>true</clp>

<edate>1341964891358</edate>

<id>9</id>

<mid0>36</mid0>

<nme>Amazon Free App Notification Click</nme>

<class cl="EventContext" sr="con0" ve="2">

<code>2000</code>

<pri>0</pri>

<class cl="AppArg" sr="arg0">

<appClass>net.dinglisch.android.taskerm.Tasker</appClass>

<appPkg>net.dinglisch.android.taskerm</appPkg>

<label>Tasker</label>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>*Today's FAAD*</val>

</class>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Project" sr="proj0">

<cdate>1341781461540</cdate>

<name>Amazon Free App</name>

<pids>9,41</pids>

<scenes>Amazon</scenes>

<tids>36,61,62,59</tids>

</class>

<class cl="Scene" sr="sceneAmazon">

<backColour>0</backColour>

<cdate>1340657368855</cdate>

<edate>1342132475622</edate>

<heightLand>-1</heightLand>

<heightPort>716</heightPort>

<nme>Amazon</nme>

<widthLand>-1</widthLand>

<widthPort>658</widthPort>

<class cl="ImageElement" sr="elements0">

<flags>7</flags>

<heightPort>716</heightPort>

<widthPort>658</widthPort>

<xPort>0</xPort>

<yPort>0</yPort>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Background</val>

</class>

<class cl="AppIcon" sr="arg1" ve="2"/> <class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>255</val>

</class>

<class cl="RectElement" sr="background">

<flags>4</flags>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val></val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg1">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg2" ve="3">

<val>#F5383882</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg3" ve="3">

<val>#F5555599</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg4">

<val>2</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg5" ve="3">

<val>#2BF4F4F4</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg6">

<val>9</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg7">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="TextElement" sr="elements1" ve="2">

<ClickTask>-936</ClickTask>

<flags>5</flags>

<heightPort>443</heightPort>

<widthPort>597</widthPort>

<xPort>29</xPort>

<yPort>155</yPort>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>App Desc</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>%AppDesc</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>16</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>100</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg4" ve="3">

<val>#FFFFFFFF</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg5">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg6">

<val>2</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg7">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="RectElement" sr="elements2">

<flags>4</flags>

<heightLand>17</heightLand>

<heightPort>117</heightPort>

<widthLand>250</widthLand>

<widthPort>595</widthPort>

<xLand>0</xLand>

<xPort>31</xPort>

<yLand>183</yLand>

<yPort>597</yPort>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Footer</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg1">

<val>2</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg2" ve="3">

<val>#FFDDDDDD</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg3" ve="3">

<val>#FF999999</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg4">

<val>4</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg5" ve="3">

<val>#FF000000</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg6">

<val>9</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg7">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="TextElement" sr="elements3" ve="2">

<flags>4</flags>

<heightPort>155</heightPort>

<widthPort>609</widthPort>

<xPort>17</xPort>

<yPort>0</yPort>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Text3</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>%FreeApp</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>20</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>100</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg4" ve="3">

<val>#FFFFFFFF</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg5">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg6">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg7">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="ButtonElement" sr="elements4">

<ClickTask>61</ClickTask>

<flags>4</flags>

<heightPort>95</heightPort>

<widthPort>93</widthPort>

<xPort>511</xPort>

<yPort>620</yPort>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Button1</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val></val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>16</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>100</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg4" ve="3">

<val>#F5383882</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg5">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="AppIcon" sr="arg6" ve="2">

<nme>icon_dontsave</nme>

<pkg>net.dinglisch.android.taskerm</pkg>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="ButtonElement" sr="elements5">

<ClickTask>62</ClickTask>

<flags>4</flags>

<heightPort>95</heightPort>

<widthPort>389</widthPort>

<xPort>54</xPort>

<yPort>620</yPort>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Button2</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>Go To Amazon</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>24</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>100</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg4" ve="3">

<val>#FF000000</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg5">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="AppIcon" sr="arg6" ve="2"/> </class>

</class>

<class cl="Task" sr="task36">

<cdate>1341780862122</cdate>

<edate>1341884639918</edate>

<id>36</id>

<pri>10</pri>

<class cl="Action" sr="act0" ve="3">

<code>47</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Amazon</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg1">

<val>1</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>100</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>100</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg4">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg5">

<val>1</val>

</class>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Task" sr="task59">

<cdate>1341774238385</cdate>

<edate>1342132499890</edate>

<id>59</id>

<nme>AmazonFreeApp</nme>

<pri>10</pri>

<class cl="Action" sr="act0" ve="3">

<code>118</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>www.amazon.com/mobile-apps/b?ie=UTF8&amp;node=2350149011</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val></val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg2" ve="3">

<val></val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>10</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg4" ve="3">

<val>text/*</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg5" ve="3">

<val></val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act1" ve="3">

<code>590</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>mas_faad'&gt;</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act10" ve="3">

<code>549</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD*</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg1">

<val>1</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act11" ve="3">

<code>523</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Today's FAAD: %FreeApp</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>Today's Amazon Free App : %FreeApp</val>

</class>

<class cl="AppIcon" sr="arg2" ve="2"/> <class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg4">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act2" ve="3">

<code>590</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD2</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>&lt;/a&gt;</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act3" ve="3">

<code>547</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%FreeApp</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD21</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act4" ve="3">

<code>549</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD1</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg1">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act5" ve="3">

<code>549</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD2</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg1">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act6" ve="3">

<code>549</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD21</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg1">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act7" ve="3">

<code>590</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>width="473" alt="</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act8" ve="3">

<code>590</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD2</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>" class="fad</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act9" ve="3">

<code>547</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>%AppDesc</val>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val>%HTTPD21</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>0</val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg3">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Task" sr="task61">

<cdate>1341882417249</cdate>

<edate>1341882417249</edate>

<id>61</id>

<class cl="Action" sr="act0" ve="3">

<code>48</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Amazon</val>

</class>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Task" sr="task62">

<cdate>1341882457967</cdate>

<edate>1341882457967</edate>

<id>62</id>

<class cl="Action" sr="act0" ve="3">

<code>20</code>

<class cl="AppArg" sr="arg0">

<appClass>com.amazon.venezia.Venezia</appClass>

<appPkg>com.amazon.venezia</appPkg>

<label>Appstore</label>

</class>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg1" ve="3">

<val></val>

</class>

<class cl="IntArg" sr="arg2">

<val>0</val>

</class>

</class>

<class cl="Action" sr="act1" ve="3">

<code>48</code>

<class cl="StringArg" sr="arg0" ve="3">

<val>Amazon</val>

</class>

</class>

</class>

</class>

************** END XML *********************

Moleskine Planner / Wallet Update

So...it's been a while, but I thought I would toss out an update on the Moleskine Planner/Wallet usage. In short...I'm still using it.  I've gone through a few since I started.  I will say, the design is a little simpler than I originally started with...only because I am starting to find out what "features" I really use, and which ones I don't.  The whole point of switching to the Moleskine as an organization tool was that I didn't want to be limited to what sections/layout/methods that built into a commercial planner.  With that said, it doesn't make sense for me to limit myself to my OWN methods if they don't make sense. Right?

Soon, I'll put together a blog entry about what my planner looks like these days.  In  a nutshell, I am still  using a calendar (page a day style) method, but I decided to try something new this latest rendition.  In stead of having the entire calendar in one section, I am now trying to keep everything sequential...so calendar section for a week -> notes and journal for that week -> calendar section for the next week -> notes and journal section for that week --> etc.  This seems (so far) to be a little more efficient for me, and continues to reduce blank (wasted) pages as I move through time.

Anyway....that's all for now.  I've been really REALLY busy lately...so my blog went to the "optional" list.  I'm slowly starting to get caught up now, though.

Moleskine :: Planner Wallet Journal Version 2.0

I am now on my second Moleskine since I developed my planner/wallet/journal system. You can find previous write-ups here:


My Moleskine Planner/Journal/Wallet Setup and Hacks
Book Darts! A Follow-up from the cpo Moleskine Customization Method -- And a Review

I made a few small revisions since my original setup, and I thought I would share the evolution with you.  I simplified the system a bit, mostly by consolidation.

First off...I still really like the setup.  I have carried it daily as a wallet, and really like it. I like having my journal and notes with me at all times. Of course, because I have it handy, I tend to use it...often. This first Moleskine lasted me a little over 3 weeks. I do have a lot going on in my life at the moment, so I may be using it more than I may once things settle down. I'll be satisfied if it gets to about one book per month. The good thing about refreshing books often, is that it forces me to "clean out my wallet". I end up with random stuff like receipts, business cards, and other papers that collect in the back pocket.  These things begin to take up more and more space...and its good to thin it out when I change books.

I found that my system provides for very little wasted space.  I did have a few blank pages, but not because of my method.  Rather, I am very close to filling it up (just a few empty pages left) and I would rather swap now when it is convenient. If I held out, I could maybe get a couple more days, but then I'd have to transition in the middle of a very busy week.  Moving to the blank journal was better for me now, even if it costs me a few blank pages.

I jotted some notes on things that I wanted to modify for the next go round.  You can see them here:

As you can see, some things are obvious, and others require some explanation.

The first thing I want to mention is that I considered trying another book besides Moleskine.  I am a fountain pen user, and there is a little show through...not much...but it's there.  You can see a little in the photo above...from the page behind it.  I was looking at other books that are known to be more fountain pen friendly, but I ended up back with Moleskine.  The Rhodia books have covers that are too thick.  The Ecosytem looked good, but I like the grid style, and the grids on the ecosystem were very prominent...dark ink.  I liked the more subtle grid of the Moleskine, especially for writing.

I did swap to a soft cover Moleskine, and I think I will like it better.  It is the same as the hard cover, only just slightly thinner without the hard cover.

Back to my list...I ditched the pen loop. I didn't need it, and it was just something else hanging off the journal. It was a cool idea, but I found that I rarely stored the pen with the book - likely because I carry it as a wallet.

I originally had a section for work, home, and church.  What I found in practical use was that it was sometimes challenging to figure out what sections were best to put what in.  My home and church life are intermingled...so it made sense to just make it one section. The other thing was that even sometimes work stuff is "journal-able" but doesn't belong in the "work" section with my other notes. So really, it now has two sections.  A personal section for all journaling, and a work section for notes (reference) related to work.  I also, of course, have the calendary (daily) and random sections.  Here is a photo of the new book, and the old book.  You can see how the indexing worked in the old book as I filled it up.

With this new book, I decided to move the to-do sections to the front of each major section.  Personal to-do items are in the beginning of the personal section, and work to-do items are in the beginning of the work section.

I put random at the end again, but this time decided to run it backwards...It's just random notes and lists.  The moleskine 2.0 list I showed you above is an example of something I put in random.

I also changed my identifiers.  Previously, for each page, I put the label at the top, but I found it took up valuable space.  I still like looking at the page and being able to tell immediately what section it is, so I switched to using a simple letter identifier at the bottom left corner, on the opposite page of the page numbers.  I am using "m" for personal (me) and "w" for business (work).  It's essentially a quick squiggle one way or another, which is why I used m and w.  It's quick, and takes up little space:

Of course, I am going to use "r" for random, and the daily section is a calendar, so it needs no label...but I put "d" in the index anyway.

I still totally love the Book Darts.  The change I made here was just in my implementation.  Instead of putting the dart on the next available page, its 2 pages ahead.  That way when I get to writing, I don't find myself writing on the page with the dart...requiring a move in the middle.   It was just better for me.

The last thing I did was implement consistency in dating.  I still documented the date for each day's entries, but it was random. I decided on a consistent dating delimiter.  It just looks like this:

------------------ 1-30 ----------------------

That way when I am looking for something from a specific date, I can look for lines across the page, and identify the date associated with those entries.

So far...I am much happier with this system than I ever was with any pre-printed organizing system. This is 90% journal, 5% task list, and 5% calendar. 

Craigslist Scam :: Identify and Avoid :: Here's How

I recently listed an item for sale on Craigslist and was contacted by a scammer.  Normally I would just ignore such things, but my curiosity (and boredom) got the best of me today.  I was really curious what the angle was going to be -- hoping it may be something new and interesting.  I was expecting too much. It was the same 'ol scam as usual.

Realizing that I was about due for a blog entry, I figured this would be a good topic.

Here are some ways to identify a scam email.  This doesn't just apply to craigslist ads, but any similar email from a variety of sources for a variety of reasons.  This just happened to be something I got today as a result of a Craigslist ad.  Fifteen years ago, the same thing was happening from newspaper ads, just a little less techified (yes, I just made that word up).

So anyway, I received an email from Craigslist that had the following text:

"Do you still have the above subject still available for sale thanks"

First red flag:  That's a very generic email about a specific item. Normally, when people are interested in something you have for sale, they tend to be a little more verbose. Mostly. Maybe not always.  Another oddity was the lack of punctuation. 

Second red flag: The sender email address didn't match the name on the email account.  That was the big tip-off.  It's such a simple thing, but it's often the case and is easy to spot.

Depending on how you read your email, you may see the user's email address presented to you by default.  In this case, the message said it was from steve howell via craigslist.org.  When I hover over the name, however, I get a little popup window that shows me the email address associated with that sender. In this case, it was lisajones0001@gmail.com.

Hmmm.... steve howell at lisajones0001@gmail.com

Normally, this is all you will need to disposition this email as scam/fraud/spam.  In fact, at the bottom of the email from craigslist, they provide a link to report it.  It will say "If this email is a scam or spam please flag it now,"and will give you a hyperlink.   When you report it, you will see this:

That's it. Your job is done. Pat yourself on the back for being the super sleuth you are, and also for being a good netizen (I did not make that word up).

As I said, I was a little bored and curious, so I replied with a simple, "It is."

A few hours later I got the actual scam email.  Here it is:

"I would be really glad to get it asap, i'm not going to be around to come look at it before the purchase but the price and condition is good with me but i'm so busy for now and this is because we are running around to set up a band and studio as well and we will need this asap.Am offering extra $30 to the asking price.

 My payment will be made by bank check  or cashier check which will be delivered to you as soon as i get your details. My shipper will come for the pick up as soon as payment is certified by your bank. Also I will be adding an excess to the payment that will be sent to you which you will assist me in sending the the balance to my  shipper for their service charge.I really need this, quite important and urgent. I will be more than glad if it can be sold to me. Email me back with a Name, Address and your phone# for the check, write back soon. Regards."

Now we get to learn the scam.  If you made it this far, either because you missed the red flags I mentioned above, or those flags didn't exist for you, then here are some things that stand out about this message.

First and foremost...we have another email address issue. This response from "steve howell" came from a different email address than I originally replied to.  This time it was from steve howell at internationaholdingscompany@gmail.com.

 We have yet another poorly worded and punctuation-lacking email.  This one tells us the set up.  Here's how it works:

1. They prey on the fact that you really want to sell your item, and know you may take a risk or go against your better judgment if it means a chance for success.
2. They impart a sense of urgency, which puts you in a rush position, where you are less likely to fully consider the circumstances.
3. They always agree to purchase your item sight-unseen, for a myriad of reasons.
4. They sweeten the pot a bit by offering to give you more than you are asking.
5. They offer payment by cashier or bank check. 
6. They have a "shipper" who will pick up the item.
7. And here is the part where they make money.  They need you to help them pay for the shipper, so they send you extra money, and then they will have you forward that off to someone else.  It's of no cost to you, because the check they send you is for more than enough to cover the price of your item PLUS a little extra for your trouble PLUS the shipping fees. 

So what's the big deal?  What's the harm in this?  You sell your item, make a little extra money, and help a fellow human being out in a crunch.  It's not a bad deal, is it?

Well, not unless the cashier's check or bank check is fraudulent.  It will be.  Trust me. 

This is how the scam works...everything I mentioned above falls into place nicely.  You get check, you deposit it. You then do your part and send off the "shipping fees" to the shipper.  It might be a few hundred bucks or more -- but it was covered by the check.  Well, a few weeks after your money is long sent, the bank will contact you to tell you that the check you deposited was fraudulent.  Guess what?  That "shipping money" is now YOUR money, and you lost it. That's the scam in a nutshell. 

The more expensive the item you are trying to sell, the more likelihood you will get a similar email. The higher dollar or bigger items justify higher "shipping costs" so they can take you for more money at once before you have time to realize what just happened. 


What's the best way to protect yourself?


Reading this hopefully helped.  Above that, follow Craigslist's Published Safety Tips:


You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

• DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts on craigslist.
• NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
• FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
• CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
• NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
• AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.
• DO NOT RENT HOUSING WITHOUT SEEING THE INTERIOR, OR PURCHASE EXPENSIVE ITEMS SIGHT-UNSEEN - in all likelihood that housing unit is not actually for rent and that cheap item does not exist.
• DO NOT SUBMIT TO CREDIT CHECKS OR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR A JOB OR FOR HOUSING UNTIL YOU HAVE MET THE INTERVIEWER OR LANDLORD/AGENT IN PERSON. 

At http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams, they also have some examples of similar scams and contact information to report if you are a victim of such.

Stay Alert. Be Safe.

UPDATE:

I received another spam email this week.  I figured I would just add the new information to the end of this post since I realize that many of you are landing here from google searches for the email addresses and names of spammers who are contacting you.  Hopefully adding them in here will help you make a quick decision on whether your "buyer" is legit or not.  Keep in mind, I'm not *TRYING* to get them to contact me...I just have stuff for sale, and they are trying to take advantage of that.

The latest email was from tonja.baby102@gmail.com
with a reply-to email of collinsmike100@gmail.com.

The text of the message was simply:

Do still have it available for sale?

Do you think this message fits the suspicious criteria I named above?  Absolutely!

UPDATE: (Again)

Got yet another email today:

from: mich <fawcetttom6@gmail.com>
reply-to: mich <truck.trader1234@gmail.com>

Text:

Still available? please send me more pictures of it so that i can make my decision of purchase thanks Clifford...

Mich?  Clifford?  Ugh.  

A Blast From the Past: 2007 Les Paul Elitist Complete Re-Wire

This is a revival of an older write-up I put together back in May of 2009 for a guitar forum on the Internet.  I did it as an instructional piece, and broke out the step-by-step process of re-wiring my 2007 Epiphone Elitist Les Paul Standard Plus.  If you are not familiar with this particular guitar, it is very collectible and becoming more and more rare by the day. This guitar, which was made in Japan, is well known for its amazing build quality and tone -- and many argue it was better built than the American version manufactured by Gibson.  In fact, I was looking for a Gibson Les Paul when I found this one, but I couldn't find a Gibson anywhere that felt as nice as this one.  It plays like butter! The only thing that wasn't super awesome about it was the electronics that came from the factory.  It is common to re-wire them with "Made in USA" electronic components to get the most out of this amazing Les Paul. 

I was thinking about this guitar lately because I am wondering if I should attempt to sell it.  It's been sitting un-played, in its case, for a very long time now...over a year or more.  If you know me personally, you have probably heard the story that goes along with this guitar.  It was a great surprise/shock/terror to my wife when I bought it from a Craigslist ad while on a business trip. It's a great party story! ; P

Not very long after I wrote this article on my complete re-do of the electronics, I found an American Standard Stratocaster which is now my regular guitar. I love the Elitist, and realize it rises in value each day I own it...but I still wonder if I should sell it.  My wife would love that! It's my "backup guitar" but I haven't needed my backup...ever.

So here it is...nearly a direct reproduction of my 2009 write-up.  Pardon the poor photography...it wasn't a focus of this effort, and I was using a little point and shoot with flash. Ugh.  These pictures make me cry -- because today they would look much different!  But...it's a moment in time, and I cherish them for that!

========== LP Complete Re-Wire [Steps] [Pictures] 05-01-2009, 11:23 PM ==========

Components:

• RS Guitarworks Modern Wiring Kit
• Neck Pickup: Dimarzio Air Norton (Zebra)
• Bridge Pickup: Dimarzio Super Distortion (Zebra)
• Neck Tone Pot controls coil tapping via push/pull
• Bridge Tone Pot controls out of phase select via push/pull

First, let me say that if you are expecting tips from a pro...that's not me! This is my first time to mess with anything inside my guitar. I am posting this so others who are considering tackling the job can see that it is indeed doable, and also hopefully provide some direction and pictures that may help others. I can't say this is perfect, since frankly I have nothing to compare it to. I am proud of my work, and the guitar works....so mission accomplished.

Thanks to those on this forum who gave me lots of threads to research, and especially thanks to hillbilly for setting me up with the RS kit! I am a believer in giving back to people who give to me. I have lurked on this site long enough, and couldn't have done this job without your discussions...so I think it only makes sense that I share back so others can take something away from this experience.

Here is how it went down. Enjoy!

1. Pulled off all four factory pot caps from guitar using the "plastic grocery bag" method.

2. Created a template for wiring using a cardboard packing box top. Pressed the box against the installed pots to indent the cardboard. Drilled out these locations for securing the new pots for wiring.

3. Next, I wired pots up after attaching them to the template. I used a combination of the provided wiring diagram from RS, the diagram from Dimarzio, and some forum posts (to look at pictures). Honestly, it seemed overwhelming at first. But using the resources, I was eventually able to get it to "click" in my brain what all was going on. This is one of the primary reasons I chose to do this myself. I really wanted to learn what was going on under the hood, and wiring your own from scratch is a pretty good way of achieving this goal.

Here is the starting point, and as you can tell, I also measured the pots for resistance values (mostly as a learning experience).

Here is the final wire-up, at least pretty much all I could do outside the guitar. NOTE: I realized after taking this picture that I was missing one more wire, connecting the bottom tone (bridge) to the bottom volume. This was part of the confusing part of taking a diagram for the wiring kit and combining it with another diagram for the phase switch. I was thinking the hot lead that I ran from the switch took the place of the standard bottom lug to bottom lug connection. I was wrong, and didn't realize it until after the build. The result of the missing wire: No tone control for the the bridge. Nothing detrimental...and adding the wire after the fact solved the issue. It was a little challenging to wire it after everything was in place...but careful manipulation of the pointed tip pencil soldering iron yielded successful results without screwing up anything else that was in place.

4. Next, I removed all the existing electronics/pups from the guitar.

Here she is sans wiring:

This is also a good time to poke around.

5. Next, I wired up the 3-way pickup selector switch. I measured what length I needed to wire it to the input jack first, then split the leftover in half for the pot connections. (Thanks for the tip on that, hillbilly!)

Here it is in its home.

6. The next thing I had to do before installing the pots was to drill out holes. The factory pots were smaller than the new pots (standard) so I had to bore the hole out to 3/8". I used the recommendation to use a drill and run it in reverse (from the top side). This worked like a charm. The difference in size is subtle. Here is a pic with two drilled and two factory sized. Can you tell which is which?

Here is all four finished.

7. Next, I wired up and installed the input jack- connecting it to the 3-way switch.

Here is the control cavity...waiting for pots. I used shrink tube for the input jack wire that was exposed to the control cavity. The black tape on the other wire tells me that it's for the Neck volume pot so I didn't wire it backwards since I used the same wire for all three switch runs.

8. Finally, I get to install the pots!

I also made sure the knob ends looked even on the front, using washers to compensate when necessary to control the depth. And, of course, I added my new pointer washers before screwing them in.

10. Now for the pickups. I started with the neck, wired it in, then moved to the bridge. Here is the final control cavity condition. I went ahead and wired both pickups to coil-split with the neck tone push-pull. I then have the bridge wired for reverse phase. NOTE: Also still missing the bridge tone-volume connection. I completed the task..but didn't get the picture of the updated view. This is, however, reflected in the wiring diagram posted below.

11. I took it for a "test drive" before buttoning everything down. I left the strings on, so that if I had any issues to fight I wouldn't waste a new set of strings. The strings weren't a problem, and are actually still on the guitar after the job was complete. All the functions seemed to work as expected, the sound is good and loud, no buzzing, static, etc. (Except it seems I missed the fact that there was no bridge tone control - I was so excited to play with everything else! Ironically, the stock tone controls really didn't seem to do anything, so I guess I was used to hearing little change with adjustment. Now, however, the ENTIRE TONE of the guitar changes with a roll off of the tone! Wow! So that's what those knobs are supposed to do!)

I eventually added the bridge tone-volume connection, and then slapped the new knobs on...and here it is:

Not bad for a half hour of work, eh? Ha! Yeah right! I don't know how long it took me...but defintely several hours from start to finish. I took my time, and went slow and steady. Of course I wasn't able to work on it continously, so it probably drug out longer than it should have.

Here is my wiring diagram: