Welcome to Windows 8!

I had heard how bad the new Microsoft Windows 8 was and I thought it might have been a bit exaggerated until I unpacked and installed my new computer. The naysayers were absolutely right and the big Microsoft must be carrying within itself the need to self-destruct as evidenced by the piss-poor product they've just released.

I'm glad I never bought a Windows 8 smart-phone! This product is pure torture and evidenced by the number of “how-to” YouTube videos released on the subject, the product is unusable by the average Joe. At the end of my first day suffering with the atrocity, I've already managed to figure most of it out, but I'm looking forward to downgrading soon to Windows 7!

Death of a computer...

There's nothing as traumatic as sudden death, and that exactly what happened to my computer today. As I was editing a great video about the 4th of July Parade in Park City, the machine died on me and kept all of that great footage entombed as I did not back it up at the last second. You see, I'm prescient, but to a point...

 I called the emergency support number and following the guidance of a very capable technician, we attempted tried to revive the beast, but it was alas too late and hopeless. I then jumped in my car, drove to Salt Lake City to get a new machine, dreading the installation process which is more like dating and marrying again for the digital widower I had become. I threatened my family: “It will take me a full week before I can get over that trauma!”

Time will tell, I guess...

Rain and mountain-biking don't mix well

Two rainy nights in a row, enabled me to see how my favorite trails feel and perform, early the next morning. Overnight precipitations in summer have nothing to do with their winter counterpart when a providential nightly snowfall gets sandwiched between two bluebird days.

In summer the order of day is mud around the tires, laborious traction, vegetation that get you wet and dirt that flies all over your body as you cruise down the hill. I'm not talking about the time it takes to clean the body and the bike upon returning. Now, I remember why dry weather is so great if you love to ride your mountain bike!

The bonus, unexpected rainstorm

To properly mark this Fourth of July celebration, the skies began to get out of kilter at 2 am and a serious rainstorm complete with lighting, thunder and all kinds of noisy fireworks lasted through the early morning; I was so excited that I couldn't get back to sleep. We had not seen a drop of rain in more than 33 days; wow!

Rain is in such short supply during summer, and for that matter all year, since 95% of our precipitations are under the form of snow. It's more than just a precious commodity; it's pure gold to us. The grass, the flowers, the trees and the veggie garden are all relieved.

 

The birds will go from tiny insects to big, fat worms on today's menu and like a crazy man I left my mountain bike outside last night. I'll have to wipe up the saddle!

Precise mileage and GPS approximation

If you think your smart phone GPS or your Garmin device measure your mileage to the yard, think again. It depends mostly how fast you move and turny or winding your mountain bike trails are. If you ride switchbacks a lot, chances are you'll be short on actual miles and well over your actual speed.

Of course, when the trail is in straight line, the GPS reading can be perfectly accurate, but when going through a curve, the GPS takes points, calculates the distance between these points and gives the length of the chord of each arc instead of the length of the arc itself. This tiny error gets magnified on a fast, curvy course with frequent direction changes.

On such type of trails, a GPS will register a shorter distance than reality. It all has to do with the time points from the GPS satellite, and in the case of a sharp, rounded corner, every second a fast rider will show a 5.55 yard travel at 12 mph, while she will have actually covered. 7.77yard, so I guess I will have the satisfaction of knowing that my mileage is quite conservative on my most winding trails!

Branches finally cut!

For years now, my wife has been pleading with me to prune a number of tree branches that were blocking our living room window views and I've been ignoring her demands on the grounds that I don't like to cut trees (even unnecessary pruning falls in that category), that I love the shade they provide and finally that I like the look of trees litterally hugging the house.

I finally acquiesced yesterday, set up the ladder and once installed, ended up cutting much more than I wanted to at the beginning. Now that the job is done and the branches are piled up in our driveway I feel much better; the views from the windows are restored to what they were supposed to be all along and live is good!

I still have to grow that wood pile by cutting a few more branches on the opposite side of the house, but since I'm now started, it won't be as painful. I'm even looking forward to it!

Is real estate service a good value?

These days, the value of any standard form of service has been dropping, thanks mostly to huge productivity improvements stemming from computers and the internet.

Yet, at the same time, the cartel represented by the National Association of Realtor acts as monopolistic giant in conjunction with its infamous Multiple Listing Service, and both seem to be above any anti-trust laws thanks to their powerful lobby that spends in the hundreds of millions a year for what's lucrative for them, costly for consumers and seems to be resisting quite well a few attacks from the Department of Justice.

 So my answer to the title question is a resounding “NO”, and since sellers have no serious or reliable alternative but pay 6% of the value of any real-estate sold, it just feel like hostage-taking at its worst, with the blessings of our government. If a piece of property sells for $100,000, I could see paying $6,000 worth of “commission”, but if it sells for $500,000 or $1 million, the corresponding $30,000 and $60,000 commission checks are totally out of line, especially considering the fact that the “work” involved is dismally the same.

Somehow, this has to change, because the scheme has no legs to stand on, but who will find the magic formula to finaly bring that dispute before the Supreme Court?