Glimmer of hope for RIM?

Interesting article about RIM in the Seattle Times today. I'm not one to write them off, but the company needs to do something quick. For all of us previous Blackberry users, there's a nice fan base if the company can put out a good product. If they can put out an Android device that compares to the other upcoming devices, they have a shot a gaining serious momentum. I'd buy:

BlackBerry maker's CEO: No drastic change needed

Here's the part that caught my eye:

Heins said he's committed to switching the company's phones over to a new operating system, which is expected late this year."

And:

"Heins said RIM has to improve its U.S. marketing to go beyond the traditional corporate customer"I want us to have a bit more of an ear towards the consumer market ear towards the consumer market, understand trends, and not just do what the Street is telling you."

Hopefully, for Blackberry fans, "late this year," is better late than never. 

Where are the snow plows?

Surely they exist, but I haven't seen one since the snow began. Have you?

Good morning Seattle!

Strange weather today - especially for Seattle. The rain came down as ice pellets on my route to the office. Felt like sand blowing in my face. At least I was dry.

Now it's turning to snow. Not a ton of snow, but way more than we're used to.

Snow routes

I've learned a few things about the public transit system in Seattle over the past couple of years. Specifically the bus service.

1)  Never ever trust any type of phone app during inclement weather.

2) The drivers usually have less information on routes then the passengers.

3)  Smart phones are key as long as you can access metro's website. This seems to be the only reliable source of info.

These are all related as they could be resolved if Metro had a better system for keeping all of the drivers informed. Passengers look to them for answers but the responses are varied and often conflicting. I'm sure it all boils down to funds.

At least you get to know some folks. Everyone tends to be much more social waiting in the snow together.

Pineda?

I get home after a very nice evening with friends only to turn on the news and hear that Michael Pineda is as good as gone. To whom? The Yankees. What?! Pineda gone? NO WAY! To the Yankees? You can't be serious!

There is no way on earth this is a good move. You simply don't give away a premium pitcher of Pineda's caliber unless you are hauling in a ridiculous payload. The Mariners seriously blew it here. We had a rock-solid 1-2 punch for the next several years making us serious contenders. Now, that's gone.

This reminds me of when we got rid of Soriano, but much, much worse. I'm so disappointed. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel better about it, but right now, I'm in shock.

Goodbye Michael, you are a rock star. I know you will haunt us.

5th Avenue

Small Spaces are the way to go

I absolutely love this. Maybe because I have vivid memories of visiting my father on submarines, or I have learned to appreciate the differences between large living spaces and small:



Inspiring!

Honor Recital rehearsal

How old? 3,500 years! Sort of...

Interesting question by my daughter yesterday.  She wanted to know how old she would be if she had a birthday every day of her life.  You see, she's turning 10 next week.  And I'm, well, turning 40 a few days later.  So, a lot of discussion at our house lately has been centered around birthdays.

So, we quickly did the math:  10 x 365, minus a few days for leap years, and that's around a whopping 3,650 days.  That's a lot of sunrises and sunsets.  A lot of betime stories.  A lot of everything a kid does day in and day out.

Then, multiply that by 4 for me, and well, you get the idea.  Not to say I'm getting old, but I do know I've experienced a lot.  I remember life before microwaves, cell phones, video games, and owned a little something that played these:

How do I account for that many trips around the sun?  I've never been one to worry about milestone birthdays, but it's been very hard lately not to be a bit introspective; thinking about what has been, what could have been, what will be.

The pretty much sums it up

Just happened to look at ESPN's Mariner page and what's staring me in the face?

Let's see, how many teams are there in MLB?  Oh...ouch - not pretty.

Anacortes ferry terminal

Nice day and a nice beach to stroll on while in the ferry line.

Mariners ever changing lineup

Mariners Blog | Mariners shake up lineup, put Jack Cust at DH and Greg Halman in left field...and that Ackley guy hits third | Seattle Times Newspaper

Wedge's constant flip-flopping of the lineup reminds me of when a friend and I tried replacing the distributor cap on his Honda, without labeling the wires.

We spent the rest of the day trying to figure out the right combination - this one goes here, that one there, nope. Repeat. Bottom line, we got it running (more like sputtering) but it needed a complete overhaul.

Future of Metro - Am I missing something?

Okay, can I vent a bit? King County is threatening to cut metro service - some routes all together - unless a 2 year $20 tab tax is approved. What in the world?!

Details here:

Congestion Reduction Charge - Future of Metro - King County Metro Transit

Let's break down the logic here:

Congestion Reduction Charge

The 2011 Washington Legislature authorized King County to approve a temporary congestion reduction charge to help fund Metro Transit services. This would be an annual $20 fee on every vehicle licensed in King County for each of two years.

Why exactly is this temporary?  How are revenues going to increase over the next two years, or what is expected to happen to ridership after two years to deem the tax no longer necessary?  This will only get worse until someone realizes that cost of riding Metro has to go DOWN and the convenience needs to go UP.  Even worse, ridership would in fact DECREASE if routes are cut.  No?  Less convenience and more crowed buses due to the cut in buses and routes equals rider drop.

Happy 4th!

The lasting lessons of independence - BostonHerald.com

"Sadly, many Americans do not know that what we celebrate today is the 235th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Quick: What was the purpose of this founding document?

A) To establish the new government of the United States;

B) To proclaim that the colonies would no longer let England control them;

C) To give all free men in America the right to vote;

D) To declare the right of free speech in the American colonies.

The correct answer, of course, is B.

But if you answered incorrectly, you are not alone. According to recently released data from the National Association of Educational Progress (known as “the Nation’s Report Card”), two-thirds of American fourth-graders and almost three-quarters of American eighth-graders can’t identify the Declaration’s purpose."

The lasting lessons of independence - BostonHerald.com

Sunday colors

Poppies

The life

Gorgeous day

Alley cat