Mac User for Fifteen Years and Entitled to GRIPE!

So here's the scoop. I bought my first "home computer" back in the mid nineties and a computer tech at the time, who was a friend, lets just call him "Tim" for the sake of this article...Actually, his name was really Tim so, nevermind, the cat is out of the bag.

"Tim", a PC repairman, recommended I get a Mac for a couple reasons:
1. based on the fact that Macs had an operating system that ran native to the hardware. I didn't know what any of that meant at the time but he explained that Windows ran on top of another OS called DOS, which I had heard of, and was using at work, but had no idea whatsoever what it was.
2. He was recommending a Mac because Apple had just released a new computer which was both a TV and a computer in one, called a Macintosh TV! Wahooo! a two-in-one TV I could deal with, I knew how to work a TV...mostly. A VCR, no, TV, yes.

I ran down to Computer City on Charleston and Decatur here in Vegas, and picked one up. I think that Computer City is now a gigantic PTs Pub now. Anyway, the rest is history - I would own a laptop 190cs which had an ACTUAL color screen! AMAZING! But it had nothing else - you had to buy a special dock if you wanted to actually accomplish anything productive with it, I sent it back. After the Powerbook 190cs, I then bought a Powerbook 1400 laptop
Powerbook 1400 Rest in Peace -
May God Have Mercy on your soul for I would not.

This 1400 piece died and then caused me to go Office Space on it in front of a dumpster across from UNLV, reducing it to 1400 pieces. I then bitterly purchased a G3 laptop which was better but eventually died but is still safe in my closet, with repair parts that I purchased on ebay about 3 years ago. I believe this G3 laptop is the proverbial "GTO" in the garage that I hope to put a new "engine" in but in reality is just an annoyance to my wife.

Anyways, after the GTO, I then bought a Dual G5 tower which has been the best Mac I have ever owned...knock on silicon...In fact, I am writing this little gripe on that G5 right now! aMAzing. Now, I have convinced my wife to become a Mac user and have purchased a new iMac for her - making us an ALL MAC home for the first time in our nearly 7 years of marriage. I then recommended that my church buy an iMac for video projection, they agreed, things were going swimmingly.

Here is where the love-fest for Apple all goes sour. It seems that Apple has pulled a fast one on all of us. They have completely removed the universally loved and accepted, DVI ports for monitors from ALL their systems and have replaced them with a new little piece of crapnology called Mini DisplayPort. That is a long annoying name which I shall truncate to the word "Tim". Wait...I've used that one somewhere here before, lets call that crapnology "MDP" which, amazingly, stands for Mini DisplayPort.

SO! MDP is supposedly "smaller" and "sleeker" and is able to transmit HD signals much more effeciently blah blah blah according to Apple. (The blah blah blah was actually me) At any rate. What Apple doesn't tell us is that #1 you have to buy new monitors because the sweet 22" Samsung you JUST BOUGHT is ridiculously incompatible. Your BRAND NEW monitor has DVI inputs on the back. Macs have NO DVI outputs only the MDP which means you need to buy monitors that have MDP inputs for them to work happily with your new Mac. LIAR! you say! Yes, true, but not about this subject my son. You see, Apple tells you to buy an adapter for $20 that supposedly makes your new Mac play nice with your new monitor...NO! It does not. Another secret of Steve Jobama's is this MDP crapnology is actually forced upon us because of its ability to limit piracy! YES! correctomundo! Mini Displayport crapnology has DRC firmware built into it which allows it to detect an HDCP (High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) Device. If it detects either correctly or erroneously, a device that is not up to what it deems "HDCP Compliant" it will black the image and you will get NOTHING my friend. NOTHING! on your screen because the image from YOUR computer going to YOUR display device has been BLOCKED by the firmware built into MDP crapnology.

Infuriating? yes! Frustrating? Even more so! No one said ANYTHING about potential compatibility issues and now I've bought one iMac and recommended the purchase of another and I am skay-rood. So annoying. The adapters don't work, many HDCP compliant devices don't work and even some new MDP monitors are not working! My recommendation - STAY AWAY FROM BUYING MACS FOR THE NEXT 6-8 MONTHS! Let this crapnology settle in, give some genius engineers time to figure out how to communicate to and from this port and allow new devices and adapters to hit the market. This will save you lots of headaches, believe me!

I remember this happening once before when Apple suddenly removed ALL serial ports (remember those? if you're a PC person, you're still using those!) only to replace them with USB and Firewire. At the time, I wasn't a techie nerd, I was just a regular nerd, so I had no idea this was coming and no one at Apple gave a warning that ALL of our serial devices would need adapters to work. Change is fine, it just sucks when it is secretly forced on us like some Obama/Bush Bank Bailout.

Ok...I got it out of my system...now I am going to get back to that GTO in the garage...no seriously, I am going to work on that real soon...2-3 days. You'll see.

Airline Pilots Use Their Laptops and I'm not allowed to even turn on my iphone!

So I've been reading about these two pilots that were supposedly doing all sorts of things while the plane they were supposed to be flying was about 150 miles past their target. The pilots admitted to using their laptops while flying which caused a "distraction" and WHAM-MY, they fly WAY off course. Apparently the FAA has stripped them of their licenses to fly and I believe they lost their jobs at the airline.

I guess my only thoughts have been that of frustration at the double standard of airline stewardesses. If I take out my iPhone for a freaking second those Helgas are all over me to shut it off, and now I hear that its common practice for pilots to use their laptops while flying the plane. Isn't this a little backwards or at least ironic?
I think it is. But at least they managed to land safely and weren't hopped up on the pot which is comforting.

On a different airline note, I read that now Boeing and other airplane manufacturers are producing planes where the passengers line each side of the fuselage while face-elaging each other in order to cram more people in each airplane. I guess that means that the only true first class seats in the future will be the pilot seats.

Perhaps we should all take flying lessons (one at a time of course). Its a scary over crowded world we are entering.

I know the pic I used shows a pilot joking with a person taking his picture while the plane plummets toward the Las Vegas Strip, but in reality, I must admit, I doctored this photo a smidge, for dramatic effect.

Feel free to use it, just dish out a little credit love to help my little blog here.

Andrew
Precise Plus Electronics
Technology Reviews and Recommendations
http://www.preciseplus.com

World Premier of Astroboy at grahams Chinese Theater

The whole world is waiting with baited breath for this piece of crap.
I think I saw George Clooney exiting a limo earlier.

My Experimental Electronica Project

This is an EP from the first release of my Embryonica project a couple years ago called "Where Have All The Weird Days Gone?".
Just a few Experimental Electronica musings from Las Vegas with a world beat feel.

I am preparing some new tracks for a release in the next few months called "Grooves From The Short Bus". I thought I would post a little re-love on the first release. Its garnered about 5800 listens on Jamendo.com, a few favorable reviews, and even a few cuts have found their way into creepy short films (Where T-shirts Are Made) and a couple German non-profit promotional shoots.

Alas, it has not succeeded in making me a rock star. But I'm sure by the time I am 60 years old, I'll be HUGE in Japan (actually, everyone from America is Huge in Japan)

Click the Andrew Einstein Album Cover below to throw a sick check out on the piece. Let me know what you like/hate aboot it. And I promise not to ignore you right away.

If you like it, subscribe to my blog and be notified when 'Grooves from the Short Bus' is released!

Kindergarten Graduation Video

A kindergarten graduation that we shot some time ago here in Las Vegas.

Andrew's Review of Palmolive's "eco friendly" Detergent

Gone are the bachelor days where the dishes just stacked up in the sink for 6 weeks until the cockroaches themselves grew tired of the mess and started washing up the dishes. Now, as a family man these past years, I've grown to depend on the automatic dishwasher. Yes, you could say that in my life, the dishwasher has now entered its "zenith". (yawn)

In case you were wondering how a review of automatic dishwasher detergent could be interesting, let me save you the suspense...it's not. However, from time to time I like to review random products that we try at home and random products that I use to produce video here in Las Vegas, all for the benefit of the consumer. Whoever that might be... OK So here we go...the breakdown

The Supposed Good
When we first saw the new line of Palmolive automatic dishwasher detergents in the store, we were happy to check out this new "ecology friendly" version. That slowly, silently turned to regret after only a few uses.

The Supposed Smell
The detergent boasts an "apple" scent on the label, but I actually had to read the label to know that there was supposedly a "scent" included with this soap, as it didn't smell like any apples that I've ever seen. Unless maybe they were apples that were grown in orchards under power lines while irrigated with water that comes from a nuclear fission plant? Its hard to say, but forget about the scent. It just smells like plain old dishwasher detergent.

The Supposed Eco Friendliness
It claims its safe for septic tanks and is environmentally friendly but as I relay our experience I suppose I'll leave that conclusion up to you.

Prior to using the Palmolive Eco+ detergent, we've used a variety of detergents (even other Palmolive products) with complete success. So much success that we never even thought about what detergent we were using. This Palmolive Eco+ was the the first "environmentally safe" detergent we have tried.

The Bad
The first couple usages flew under the radar as we didn't really notice anything different about the soap but after 3 or 4 uses of the detergent, we started to notice a white film left on all the dishes. We simply wrote this off as a "bad wash" and proceeded to use it for the 5th and 6th times at which point we started to notice big chunks of undissolved detergent on all the dishes and actually, the dishes were coming out more filthy than when we put them in.

The Ugly
We tried different cycles and eventually, the undissolved chunks grew so heavy that they clogged the drainage system of our dishwasher. At that point the washer stopped working regardless of what detergent we tried. Fortunately, my wife is like Rosey the Riveter and tried a few tricks to open the dishwasher drain back up but we literally had to remove all the racks and scrape, soak, and scrub to get all of the hardened Palmolive Eco+ detergent out of our dishwasher.

The Conclusion
Today, our dishwasher works but not quite as well as before and its obvious that we've discontinued use of this product and have gone back to the "non ecologically friendly" detergents that seem to work fine.

Now I leave you with the question, if dishwasher detergent does not dissolve in water and actually cakes up in drains, is that really more environmentally friendly than soap that does dissolve and dissipate?

Surmise it to say that our joy of finding and eco friendly dishwasher detergent was met with equal disappointment at the damage that resulted from the caking up of undissolved Palmolive Eco+ detergent in our dishwasher.

So we paid less than $4 for this soapy crud but its cost us about $80 in labor to fix the mess that it left behind and of course, my hope is to spare you from the same trouble...now if I could just get those cockroaches to come back and fix my dishwasher, all would be well.

Anytime I start to feel like Las Vegas has too much traffic and I'm tempted to partake in a bit of road rage. I think about this picture and realize that the traffic here in Southern Nevada could be worse!

Thanks to subtire.com for the pic...here is the link where the original can be found.

http://www.subtire.com/i.php?n=trafic.jpg

Alternatives to Scissors Rock Paper...The Game That Could Bring World Peace.

I used to play Scissors Rock Paper as a kid here in Las Vegas and it was amazing how so many conflicts could be resolved from a 2 out of 3 Scissors Rock Paper game. Think about it. Winston Churchill - Paper, Adolph Hitler - Scissors, FDR - Rock. We win, no lives lost, no need for the creation of a toothless barking dog known as the "U.N." and all is well.

The only limitations of this game were in the weapons selection: Scissors, Rock, or Paper. I remember at one point we started to slap our palm with a single finger and called it "dynamite" which blew up the rock and paper, but Scissors cut the fuse. It didn't really catch on.

Now, if you see the attached picture, you'll see that the guys at sportsontheweb.net
have come up with a much more comprehensive list of hand formation weapons to really make this game take off on a grand scale. Can you imaging slapping your hand once, twice, and on the third slap you curl your knuckles and form the "monkey" ? outstanding.

Here is the original link where I found the jpeg.

http://iceland.sportsontheweb.net/shore/rpc-guide/

Very funny. I can't wait to pull out a few of these at work.

And by the way, if you are a small business owner and are in need of a training, promotional, or tv commercial spot for DVD or on the web. Give me a call.
My company is called:

Hamilton International Productions
Training Video Las Vegas
http://www.hiproductions.com

Best Places to Buy and Smoke a Cigar in Las Vegas

As a Las Vegas local, I saw the days where smoking a cigar was really just a matter of "Where do you want to go?" Today, it is a little more touchy with regards to lighting up a big phatty in a public place. I have decided to blog some of my favorite locales for smoking (or buying) a cigar in Las Vegas.

If you enjoy watching a game, having a microbrew, and smoking a nice cigar all at the same time, you have two choices: Grab the rabbit-eared TV from the closet, buy some cheap Oregon beer at Albertsons, and light up a cigar in your gas fumed garage. OR, you can just make a quick trip to The Chicago Brewing Company on Fort Apache and West Sahara in Summerlin. The upstairs room opens at 5pm so you'll have to make it a night game, but you will have access to a little tobacco hideaway with leather chairs, big ashtrays, and a plethora of micro-brews to choose from. My personal favorite here is the sampler. It is about 10 small sized beers on a round rack that gives you a nice overview of everything they have to offer. A nice Maduro wrapped Punch Belicoso with a Chicago stout microbrew and you'll feel like you were watching the game from a luxury box!

Another enjoyable haunt for locals is FAR FAR away from the strip (just like I like it!) and is, in fact, just a mile down the road from The Chicago Brewing Company on Rampart (Which is what Fort Apache becomes as you cross Charleston Blvd) and Alta. It is none other than Gustav Mauler's Cigar Bar in the JW Marriott Hotel & Casino. Again the atmosphere is perfect, dimly lit, leather chairs, great Port or Cognac, tasteful live blues players, and smooth Davidoff or Dunhill Corona cigar or if you're feeling adventurous, you can always pick up one of the delicious-yet-overpriced Gustav Mauler cigars which I have enjoyed on many occasions. This is located right next to Wooligan's Irish Pub which is a blast for Celtic food and song but don't even think about sparking up in there Sparky. Take it from me, Wooligan's is NOT cigar friendly, but its an excellent place to eat, drink, and enjoy yourself, then retire to Gustav's for a nice dessert of Brandy and cigars.

I've saved the best for last in my brief overview of cigar friendly places in Las Vegas, this is the Pullman Car in the Main Street Station Casino in Downtown Las Vegas (again - quite far from the Strip - yahoo!). This place is an absolute dream located right in the heart of an absolute slum, but hey, don't worry, there is covered parking with security so you'll be OK. I hope. The Pullman Car is located inside the Pullman Grille which is a little more upscale steakhouse style restaurant for downtown. If that is your thing, have a nice steak and retire through a couple mystery doors into an actual Pullman rail car that has been converted with interior decor consisting of cherry wood, hunter green paint, deep comfy leather sofas and easy chairs, and Victorian style lamps. If you are looking for a more budget-conscious meal, you can always start at the Microbrewery just down the walkway inside the casino, great snacks, appetizers and excellent microbrew, then, you know the routine, over to the Pullman Car to discuss your plans for world domination over a rich Merlot and a La Gloria Cubana Charlamagne smoke. De-licious, and whats best of all, no dirty looks, just people with the same interest and taste for a fine cigar. Make sure you buy your cigars before coming downtown, there really isn't a decent place to pick up cigars down there and you DO NOT want to be wandering around looking like you don't know where you're going. stay on the main thoroughfares like Fremont, Main (near the casinos) and you'll be fine. The Pullman Car is one of Las Vegas' best kept secrets.

Now, speaking of buying cigars in Las Vegas, I have two rules:

1. Don't do it unless you absolutely HAVE to.

2. Don't buy down on the strip EVEN IF you have to! You will get reamed my friend, reamed.

So here is what you do, if you're down on the strip, hop in a cab and say, "Driver, take me to Pheasant Tobacco!" "Where is that?" he might ask, you answer, "West Sahara directly across from the Palace Station Casino" and then lean back with a smug I've-been-in-town-45-minutes-and-I-know-it-ALL look. Be sure to tip him though. Pheasant is not far from the strip at all but its WAY on the North side where the old school hotels are: Circus Circus, Riviera, Sahara, etc. It is a very reasonably priced tobacco shop with a fantastic selection. There is a cigar there for everyone no matter what your income bracket. They have a nice smoking room and , in my humble opinion, the most knowledgeable staff in Vegas. The only catch is, operating hours. For some reason, these guys seem to think that they have set up shop in Minnesota or something. They close early and don't give a rat's behind that this is a 24 hour town (is my personal frustration showing through?).

If you insist on staying near the Strip, I would recommend the cigar room at the Paris or Monte Carlo. Neither of which require a pricey meal (like the cigar restaurant at the Venetian) and both offer a very pleasant "piano atmosphere" with fine wine, brandies, and cognac.

Another place, should you decide to venture out to either Chicago's or Gustav's, is out by Summerlin and is called Tobacco Leaf on West Lake Mead and Rock Springs. Again, a decent selection, but the prices are bit more jacked up. They are still probably 40-50% cheaper than what you would buy on the strip or in Gustav's. As of this writing, the store is fairly new, nice walk in humidor (pales in comparison to the Minnesotan's at Pheasant) and very helpful staff, but a little small and cramped. The great thing about these guys is their punch card. If you buy like 8 or 9 cigars, you get one at the same level for free, so its about a 10% discount for volume or repeat business.

Ultimately, its all about finding what works best for you, your budget, your tastes, and your temperament that will determine your cigar experience here. Hopefully the above list will give a couple good places to start, that are off the tourist's beaten path.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... I: wait... L: wait... C: wait...