Innovative LiveScribe Pen

I've been waiting for electronic paper a while now. The LiveScibe Pen system appears to be the closest thing to it for now. I'm very busy but I thought I'd drop this information into a quick blog post. This pen is packed full of innovation. Check it out.

Livescribe

Scary Dogs Scare Me

So one afternoon in October, 2009 I'm walking up the street from the store to my apartment. I happen to have a sore ankle because I wore the wrong tennis shoes on the treadmill at the gym. I note a 30's something short blond haired woman walking towards me with a gigantic mean looking unleashed dog trailing 4 feet behind her. When bipedal, I imagine the dog would be taller than myself, that's how large it was, and quite muscular unlike the poor similar critter shown here.

As the lady approaches with her dog following behind, I begin to slightly freak out and say something really polite like, "you should get that big dog on a leash!" My fear in having to pass an extremely large unleashed dog accelerates as I know I'm in a vulnerable position where in a split second the dog could possibly maul me to death.

As the dog passes, I note it has taken notice of the exchange of words I had with its owner. I feel a rush of panic as the dog stares at, then begins lunging after me. I raise my voice in panic asking the owner to call her dog off and she has to grab it to prevent an attack. As she struggles to control the dog it's obviously riled up trying to squirm away to come after me again.

A few moments after they begin heading down the street I express my displeasure over being placed in such vulnerable life threatening position with, "your dog is a lethal weapon and you need to get it on a leash!" Once again, the dog reverses its path and starts towards me again, coming as close as 3 feet. On its owner's command the dog quickly reverses itself on a dime demonstrating this time that it's really a well trained attack dog.

So what do you think the lady would say to me after it's all said and done? Does she apologize since she had her dog unleashed? Nooooo! What this lady says after bringing a few moments of terror into my life was "You're just jealous!" By the time she uttered such ridiculous mind blowing cruel words, she was way down the street at which time I pointed at her and said "you're in big trouble! You're dog's a lethal weapon!!!"

After it was all over did I think about calling the police? It did cross my mind. What prevented me from calling the SFPD is how utterly useless they are. They must be the worst cops in the entire country from my experience. SFPD cops seem to be on the side of the criminals in many respects. After all, without criminals, or the politicians who need limo motorcycle cops, they'd be unemployed. I didn't know if this lady lived in my neighborhood or how I could possibly locate her to file assault charges. Yes, assault charges. I was scared for my life. Visions of my being mauled to death by a big black dog seemed very possible.

Turns out someone had witnessed the little tiff, the street watchman who often stands out on the building patio checking out the neighborhood. I spoke with him shortly after the incident and he said he recalled another incident where the big mean dog lunged and nearly attacked someone. The victim was yelling and scared to death. The watchman said he knew where the lady lived and I found a couple who lived in the building who gave me a heads up to her unit number.

Anyway, back to my dog story. After the lady departed around the corner with her dog, I was still reeling from the encounter. I told everyone I bumped into about it, "this lady with a huge big black unleashed dog nearly attacked me with her dog and then said 'you're just jealous'!! People were truly appalled.



THIS LADY AND HER POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ATTACK DOG ARE A DANGER TO THE COMMUNITY - SOMEONE NEEDS TO STOP HER!

After I was able to get the lady's address through someone who knew where she lived, I sent her a letter. The letter was about my having witnesses, my asking for an apology while offering release of damages agreement. After 25 days I never heard back. I then decided to enter phase two, does she have a history of attacking people with her dog? I looked up the lady on the Internet to learn she had been arrested in 2002 for siccing her dog on someone it chewed up a little and I knew I was on the right path. The lady sued the city complaining of being tortured by the Sheriff during the short incarceration.

This next part has been lifted from the court briefs of the class action lawsuit filed against the City of San Francisco in 2004. The ". . . ." is the names of individuals which I've redacted.

described how the Asian males had to run inside Geary Street in order to seek protection from . . . and her attacking dog, and that . . .and another had to to seek protection from . . . . .and her dog from entering that building. After . . . . turned away and walked away from the door, . . . went outside. But . . . turned the dog to face . . . shouting "It doesn't matter if your black, Asian or White" and sicced the dog on . . . .. The dog bit . . . in the left hand injuring him.

.........was arrested on July 19, 2002 because her dog allegedly bit a man. She was taken to County Jail 9 where she was booked and instructed to disrobe in the presence of a male officer. When she refused, male and female deputies dragged her into a safety cell, forcibly removed her clothing and left her naked in the cell for approximately 12 hours. First Amended Class Action Complaint, at ¶ 20. She was awakened every 20 minutes by pounding on the door by a male officer who observed her naked.

Yes, the same lady who sued the City of San Francisco in 2004 under a Class Action lawsuit nearly attacked me with her big black unleashed dog, then uttered the kind words "you're just jealous!" The community's at risk as long as this lady continues to disobey leash laws with that kind of attitude. Imagine if a little kid was walking past this dog and made a wrong move.

Here Comes 2010 - So Where Are Flying Cars?

I've been waiting a long time for electric cars to appear since the mid-1980's because I can't stand the smell of gasoline nor the continual rise of the price per gallon. Other more futurist visionaries have even been waiting for flying cars! Apparently, even flying cars are a strong possibility on the horizon.

When I was a kid in the 1960's I remember being shocked at witnessing a car drive into the lake at Lake Tahoe California. They had driven their amphibian convertible into the water that then became a mini boat! I couldn't believe what I had witnessed at the time. How much fun would that be to take a nice scenic drive at Lake Tahoe then into the lake for a boat ride.

I'm continually getting jolts of culture shock from the fabulous new technologies that have appeared recently. One of my favorites is Sirius Satellite voice activated radio. Though I don't own the technology yet, I've seen it advertised where a driver of a vehicle simply states what they'd like to hear and the song plays instantaneously! The other feature I've noted in satellite radio is the digital display of the artists name, song title and perhaps year the song was released.

These new music distribution systems are all mind boggeling for those of us who grew up with turntable record players, not to mention commercial radio. It's too bad people couldn't have all this fabulous technology back in the 60's when there was a lot more talent and quality music producers. If you really think about it, it's truly amazing how far technology has come within our lifetimes. Why, back when I was in high school in the 70's, they didn't even have VCR's, ATM's or fax machines yet!

Then of course, there are the truly revolutionary Star Trek like beam me up flip cell phones! I had a briefcase model mobile phone way back in the 1980's when I was selling young technology. Back then there were very few cell base locations for the transmitters to signal to and calls were commonly dropped. It wasn't until the mid-1990's that the cell phone technology finally took off. I was one of the few in the 90's to have my own Sprint Cell phone, but it wasn't a flip phone because they hadn't developed to that level yet. Then, I rebelled a while from the cell phone craze until I was forced to get my first flip phone for business needs. I've grown into the technology and use my cell phone quite frequently now. I don't know what I'd do without the convenience of my phone and I'm sure others feel the same way.

Getting back to the topic of cars, I am certain we all could have been driving electric cars by now had the oil and car companies not deliberately stunted the industry. Why, we could have even had solar powered cars by now, or cars that run on other kinds of fuels. As for the potential arrival of flying cars, I honestly don't believe there will ever be a mass market appeal to such dangerous small vehicles.

You Learn Something New Every Day

I was at the court clerk's office today and a nice attorney was standing in line I managed to get some interesting information from. First, he was in pro per because he injured himself at a hotel in Taiwan a year ago. He was on a little push scooter because his foot was injured very seriously and still healing after a year.

What the attorney told me was it is extremely rare that courts ever award a prevailing party the other party's attorney fees. He says it is something the courts just don't do. I mentioned how strange that was since such a threat is always used to prevent frivolous lawsuits from occurring. He said it's a total fallacy. What this means is sue happy people can sue to their heart's content and never be charged another's attorney's fees if they lose. Wow!

There's some strange man who is under the illusion he can possibly get his attorneys fees awarded should some miracle occur and he get his case dismissed or win at trial. Fat chance.

Botfly Removed From Woman's Scalp Who Visited Belize

There are many hazards associated with being an adventurer traveling to foreign countries. This is just one example.

Cute Cat Videos

Christmas kitties - A Tink and Ranj Christmas @ Yahoo! Video

Kitten Opens Door @ Yahoo! Video

A Look Back at 2009 - Highlights on My Fav Products - Edgestar Dishwasher

I've had my Edgestar Dishwasher (countertop) for nearly a year and it's still going strong. I absolutely love this machine and I'm not the only one who feels this way about a mere machine. It has saved me so much time while getting the dishes sanitized clean.

Here are a few reviews I agree with:

This Dishwasher Changed My Life

"All in all, I love this dishwasher more than I ever thought I could love a kitchen appliance. It works brilliantly and has made such a difference in my life. I cook more, my husband and I never argue about the dishwashing chores, and I don't have to move to a new house!"

Best Gift I Could Have Gotten

"I LOVE my dishwasher. It has been positively life changing. I HATE doing dishes and so I admittedly waited till the sink was FULL of dishes before I rolled up my sleeves to wash dishes. It was easy to install. I use the sink adaptor. I DID have to go to ace hardware to get a fitting (an inch thick) and some plumbing tape to make it work. But that was 5 bucks and took me 30 mins. You might need someone who is st..."

A Dream

"Having a busy schedule makes it difficult to hand wash dishes and pots. In addition, living in an apartment building where a full capacity dishwasher is out of the question makes it all the more harder for us busy city folks to maintain a clean kitchen. However... this dishwasher is a dream come true. It is quite powerful, not only cleaning dishes but pots and pans as well. I'm truly satisfied with this product and would highly recommend it to those of us who desire convenience without sacrifice!!!"

• Reviews

A Look Back at 2009 - Highlights on My Fav Products - Ecoloblue28

Earlier this year I purchased an Ecoloblue 28 water generator. This miraculous machine extracts moisture from the humidity in the air turning it into pure drinking water. I've been very pleased with the quality of water especially.

Though at times it's slightly a pain having to deal with the manual to learn how to conduct a simple 20 minute monthly maintenance regimen, and was even more annoying having to set the thing up it was well worth it. I've got pure drinking water and as long as I have access to electricity, there won't be any problem having access to water during droughts.

The filters are inexpensive and you can buy them in bulk specials offered by Ecoloblue. The filters need only be changed once each six months and their membrane filter is replaced once every two years. Their ultraviolet light is also replaced every two years. Disclaimer: Don't take my word for it however, make sure you either read the instructions or call an Ecoloblue tech specialist should you purchase the machine.

Ecoloblue ocassionally offers specials and recently offered a dropped price from $1,200 to $999. Sometimes their specials include a one year supply of filters.

• www.EcoloBlue.com

A Look Back at 2009 - Highlights on My Fav Products

By far the greatest value I found in a product this year is Five Star Soaps by Cal Ben Soaps. Cal Ben soap is pure and they've been in business since 1947. Early this year I purchased their $150 bulk soap (pictured) package that included enough soap products to last me several years.

Their laundry detergent is highly concentrated and does a great job. Their hand soaps are high lather, with a mild almond oil scent I just love. Their shampoos are wonderful and high lather as well. These are chemical free, pure soaps at 85% off vs. the store bought soap products. They provide a load of dish liquids as well. If you went out today and tried to purchase all these products at the store, it would cost hundreds of dollars easy!

Purchasing the Five Star Soaps' $150 bulk soap package is the best value you will ever find. Their dishwasher soap isn't as cheap as the rest, but still is a great value. Cal Ben also sends out a very inexpensive sampler to sample their products - for just $20 that includes:

One month supply tote pkg. Only $20.00
Four Samples includes the following
4-Bars Complexion Beauty "Pure Soap"
16 oz. "Five Star" Shampoo
16 oz. Dish Glow
18 oz. "Seafoam" Laundry Powder

This Cal Ben Super Star '1200' Soap Collection will last several years. I'm convinced their laundry detergent will last me at least the next 5 years because it just takes a small scoop to clean a load of wash.





This is really a great value every family should consider buying direct from Cal Ben.

• Cal Ben Soaps

What Ever Happaned to . . . .

I've been researching on what some of my former Palos Verdes High School alumni from 1978 are up to 31 years after graduating. As I looked around a bit, I wanted to present a few results. But first, I happened to catch someone on one of the forums as recently as 4/2009 asking what ever happened to me along with a few others from an orchestra class and it gave me the shivers.

In the the interim, Perry La Marca, the PVHS infamous pianist who we all thought was destined for greatness one day has done quite well and still is seasoning himself as a film composer. He's following in the footsteps of composer John Williams a former teacher and mentor. One of his latest films is THE MORGUE now out on DVD. I'll have to catch that one for sure.

Perry and I worked on a couple music projects after high school but he was far above me in musical development and left me in the dust so to speak. Looking back, I should have never gone the path of music and could have saved myself a lot of time and heartache. I should have been a nurse in my opinion. Back then it wasn't cool to be a nurse though.

• Perry's Imdb listing.

Okay, next up. I'll save that for another post.