Book Smart Don't Mean Worldly Wise

I was reading posts in one of the Google Groups of which I am a member, and interspersed between legitimate, informative posts were some angry messages from a woman on her iPhone who, apparently, was also getting the emails. Of course, we know you don't get the emails unless you are subscribed to the group, right?

She sent these messages:

   Stop sending me these emails!!!!!!!!

   Please pardon errors--msg sent from my iPhone.
   [her name], PhD, LPC

and

   Stop these emails!!!!!

   Please pardon errors--msg sent from my iPhone.
   [her name], PhD, LPC

Okay, she doesn't want to get the emails, but look at her sig line. She has a PhD and is an LPC, a Licensed Professional Counselor, someone who "has advanced training, a graduate academic degree, clinical work experience, and has passed a state-certified licensing examination. Counselors treat all sorts of problems: from alcoholism and eating disorders to relationship issues and depression."

Sounds like a really SMART person, doesn't it? But not smart enough to just remove her name from the Google Group. [snicker]

What's the deal with eggnog?

Where does all the eggnog in the world go on January 1? I’m just wondering, because it seems to magically disappear from every grocery store, every Costco, every Sam’s Club. It’s not even discounted anywhere because the expiration date on the remaining 47 cases of eggnog is January 2 and they are trying to unload it. I would still buy it! I would buy it and freeze it and thaw it out and celebrate Valentine’s Day with it. Yes, I would. But it’s not there. It’s not anywhere. It’s completely gone. Why?



It says on the container that it’s a holiday classic. Why does it have to be a HOLIDAY classic? Can’t it be an EVERYDAY classic? I like to have it every day, that’s for sure. Right, it’s bad for me—I know that, but I want the OPTION of having it every day, and that option is being taken away from me. Eggnog lovers, unite! Let’s demand that we at least be allowed to buy the eggnog that is still … SOMEWHERE!

I bought 6 half gallons of eggnog on December 31 at Costco, and they had LOTS. The checker asked me if it was marked down. I said, “No, but I know if I come back in two days, it will be gone!” The expiration date on these half gallons is February 9. I don’t even have to freeze them! Between my kids and me, this will be gone long before then.

So, what gives? Where has all the eggnog gone? Why is the eggnog gone? I’ll ponder this subject while I drink my own eggnog right now. I lace mine with a little brandy and liberally sprinkle it with nutmeg. Some people like rum in their eggnog. It doesn’t matter what you like in it, though, if you can’t even get it. Bah humbug!

VisualHub Replacement? I'm Thinking Yes

I am a big fan of VisualHub, the excellent Techspansion application whose development was stopped about a year ago. I have the latest version of VisualHub and it still works fine, but one of these days, that's not going to be the case, and I have been hoping something new would come along to take its place. I've just been demoing VideoVangelist from Whimsically Plucky Software, and I think I have found my new VisualHub, which happens to be on sale at MacZot TODAY for only $5.00. Yeah, no kidding, $5.00. It's only $10.00 at full price! What is this guy thinking!?

With VideoVangelist you simply drag and drop video or audio files to the main window, choose the format you want and click start. There are a few basic settings you can tweak if you want to, some more advanced ones that you may NOT want to. You can convert files for iPod, iPhone/iPod touch, AppleTV, AVI, DV, WMV, XBOX 360, PSP, MPEG and Flash (swf and flv). You can also convert any video or audio file to MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC or Ogg/Vorbis. This comes in handy when you have, for example, a DVD of Robin Williams' Broadway show and you want to listen to it in your car while you're driving. Or how about a Woodstock concert DVD? Convert it for iTunes and get yourself back to the ga-a-a-ar-den.

You can also add URLs and RSS feeds to VideoVangelist and convert those files to the format you need to make them compatible with your iPod. I subscribe to several podcasts that work fine in iTunes, but can't be synced with my iPod. VideoVangelist will take care of that for you. You can even export your iTunes Podcast play list to an OPML file that makes it a piece of cake to import into VideoVangelist. Say, for example, there is a series of training videos on YouTube that you want. Enter the URLs into VideoVangelist and convert them. You can even stitch the files together so that you have one file with all the videos.



The website also says "Generate Flash embed code for easy pasting into HTML documents and iWeb Widgets," but I haven't figured that out yet. There is an in-depth user manual and some really excellent tutorial videos available on the website. You really should watch them to see all the features — or just to get a few laughs. Check out the developer's Rick Roll birthday video to his wife, which doesn’t have anything to do with VideoVangelist, of course, but it's pretty funny.

As for us using VideoVangelist, I was first impressed in one of the videos how the developer seemed to be going from this action to that action, canceling this and starting that over and over without the app hanging up. Even with my beloved VisualHub, I got into the habit of quitting and restarting between projects because it would hang, and canceling didn't always work. I tried a few things with VideoVangelist, and sure enough, I could cancel and move on to another action quickly and easily. It eventually did hang on me one time and I had to quit and restart, but other than that, it's working great and most conversion times have been comparable to my results with VisualHub.

I have read comments on the less-than-sexy GUI, but I was thinking how much I like having most of the options staring me in the face instead of having to search through a lot of tabs and menus. No, it's not the most glamourous interface, but it's kind of similar to VisualHub, and my focus is on how it works.

I have also read some negative comments about the download size of the disk image, which is about 100MB. About 70MB of that is the codec library itself (Popcorn 3 downloads at about 94MB). If you want to convert audio/visual files, you're gonna need that codec library. I had to install them with VisualHub also, and they are easier to keep updated in VideoVangelist by simply going to the Help menu and selecting "Install Codec Libraries." That will download the latest library package and you just double click to install.

Also, the codec library that comes on the disk image might be out of date, because it may have been updated after the latest release of VideoVangelist. That is why the developer added the option to Install Codec Libraries in the Help. You can download and update them whenever you feel like it.

Bottom line: I most assuredly see VideoVangelist replacing my VisualHub, with its additional conversion settings, cool URL and RSS features, and a developer who seems to pay attention to details. Plus, the price is crazy low! I paid about $22 for VisualHub three or four years ago and thought THAT was a steal! For $10 (and $5 today at MacZot), I highly recommend this app.

Hey, USPS! I want my stuff!

I ordered some software recently, and it was shipped through the United States Post Office from Phoenix on July 8. On July 11, the package arrived here in my home city, Memphis—three days, that's good. Unfortunately, it didn't actually arrive IN my mailbox. Nope, it was processed through the Sort Facility in Memphis and sent to Denver, where it was processed again on July 12 and sent back to Phoenix. On July 13, Phoenix processed it through their Sort Facility (again), and it was sent to Scottsdale (first time for Scottsdale), who then processed it on July 14 and sent it on to Bell, California (another first). I can hardly wait to find out where it is today, July 16, which I will know tomorrow when the USPS updates their tracking information. Gosh, maybe it's gone all the way to Alaska by now! This is so much fun. I just wish it was my Flat Stanley.
The other day, I watched my mail carrier pull into my neighbor's driveway to deliver a box that wouldn't fit in her mailbox. He never got out of the mail truck; just threw the box towards her front step. Gave it a big heave, he did, but it didn't quite get there. It was close enough, though. Heck of an arm on that mail carrier.

I hope I never have to rely on the United States Post Office to ship a kidney or a Faberge Egg.

Thank goodness for Fedex.