I have to imagine that the GPS hardware market is a tough place in which to compete these days. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that even the most Luddite of my friends all own a unit. So, what is it that goes into your decision when upgrading your hardware? I’m sure price, size and maps all go into it. But as many things in the gadget world, the “killer app” also comes into play, no? This is where the Garmin Voice Studio comes in.
Yes, I realize it may be hyperbole to call this little piece of software a killer app, but it is nonetheless a pretty cool chunk of code. For the uninitiated, it works like so:
Download and install the program on your PC (first make sure your device is compatible).
Follow the prompts and record your or someone else’s voice.
Hook up a USB cable between your Garmin GPS and PC
Transfer voice file to your unit.
Pick your voice name in the Settings>Language list
Viola! You’ll soon be receiving routing directions from a friend, loved one or husky-voiced stranger if you’re so inclined.
I happened to record Little NH for my nüvi and the results were a real laugh. Hearing a near-three-year-old say “enter roundabout” with such conviction is really funny. Not to mention, instead of saying “take ramp right” she said, “take Gramp right.” Whatever works, kiddo.
So, it’s the little things like this that might be able to sway some of today’s buyers of GPS units to one brand or another. It may not be a killer app in the traditional sense but when I showed it to my buddy and his wife (TomTom owners) and told him that it was only for Garmin GPS’s, the looks on their faces were killer.
I can’t believe the food we manage to turn out from this kitchen.
Yeah, no [kidding].
That’s a slightly redacted conversation my wife and I had last night as we cleaned up the kitchen after turning out home-made fettuccine topped by a succulent Duck Ragu. It was one of the more labor intensive and sophisticated dishes we have ever made. It’s also one that I would have been happy to serve to any discerning foodie.
Being a Sunday, we had time to cook this one. Good thing, as I ended up doubling the cooking time that was originally on the recipe. We adapted ours from the Mario Batali Duck Ragu recipe. His original steps only called for about 1.5 hours of simmer time. Ours had a good three hours. Our version also had a lot more wine in the sauce and we substituted prosciutto for the mushrooms. Consequently, the ultimate dish was a deep, ruby-red with really intense flavor. We made a thick (#5 on our hand-crank pasta maker) fettuccine noodle to stand up to the robust, rustic sauce.
Rounding out the meal on the drink side was a bold 2007 Querciabella Chianti Classico. It was a classic meal on a cold Sunday evening.
So, as the folks in America were gearing up for some world championship football in the form of the Super Bowl, I was snug in my bed, with a belly full of world-class food. Not a bad trade-off. Admittedly, mine didn’t have commercials.
The cold weather and winter “blahs” continue in Prague so I was pretty happy last week when Mrs. NH said we’d be having meatloaf. I grew up eating meatloaf just often enough to enjoy it. So many other people I know must have had mothers who made it too much. In my own experience, the reputation of meatloaf in much of the world isn’t so great. Nevertheless, Mrs. NH made the recommendation and I quickly showed my enthusiasm. The one she wanted to try had an extra twist – tomato “gravy”. I grew up with my mom doing a ketchup based glaze on meatloaf so I was skeptical about the need for this extra sauce. After all was said and done, I’m glad we tried it. It helped transform the dish into something that popped with even more flavor. It also made it pair really well with a Chianti. In fact, the final product was more like an Italian meatball than a roadside diner meatloaf.
It was delicious and if you’re in the mood for meatloaf, it’ll totally scratch that itch. Here’s the recipe from foodnetwork.com. Oh, and get ready for some tasty meatloaf sandwich leftovers!
I think the time for Microsoft’s “Tag” technology is now and here’s why: How many times have you stood in a grocery store or electronics store (having been spoiled by Internet shopping) with a product in your hand and wondered, “Is this thing any good?” How many times have you whipped out your mobile phone, opened the browser, and typed in a Google search for that item to look for reviews. If you’re like me, you’d answer ‘never.’ Now, how about if you could whip out your mobile, open an application and take a picture of a bar code and be instantly transferred to more product information. You’d at least give it a shot, no?
That’s the thinking behind Microsoft’s “Tag” beta technology. The online service will associate a colorful square tag to any site on the web and offer you several formats to include the graphic on the backs of products, business cards, and product or service literature. Imagine if all of those envelopes full of those coupons you receive in the mail were tagged. With one click of your phone camera, you could carry any and all of those coupons in your pocket and show them to the pimply kid behind the counter at the Gap, or Dominoes, or the IHOP or wherever.
For the traveling salesman, imagine a tag on the back of your business card. Those of you who have ever been to or worked a trade show know what I’m talking about. You probably used to carry around glossy folders and pamphlets, then CD’s with all sorts of information on them, and then it changed to flash drives. Now, in a world of cost-cutting, imagine making all of that available to your customer for the cost of some color ink on a card that already exists. Probably not right for every transaction but you know it would make the accountants happy. And frankly, do people really care about the ubiquitous pens, t-shirts, bags, CD’s and flash drives at trade shows anymore? Not to mention, there’s nothing to ship. Cheaper, immediate and interactive? As you can tell, I’m intrigued.
The icing on the cake (and admittedly the possible source of some problems) is the way that MS is going about offering this. It’s in beta at this point but it’s free. Anyone with a “Windows Live” account can set up a tag for a web address. There’s even supposed to be built-in support for existing, non MS bar codes included in future releases. The mobile application download itself is free and works on several different phone platforms – Windows Mobile and the iPhone included.
One more thing – it’s FAST. On my HTC Touch Diamond 2, you barely even get the tag into the crosshairs and you’re transported to the web page. No fumbling with a crummy onscreen keyboard, no scrolling through a Google search. This is instant gratification.
The one downside I see is that at its core, this is just more marketing. Do we really need that? I’m pretty sure we don’t. On the other hand, if some trusted review site would give tags to merchants to have on the racks (or, for example, have tags on Wal-Mart store shelves lead to product reviews on Walmart.com) then it might be really useful to the consumer, no? We don’t necessarily trust big political parties or big corporations anymore but we haven’t totally given up on our neighbors. Window’s Tag should totally work to leverage that zeitgeist.
The fact is, about three years ago, I was walking home after a night out with my wife and had one of those “why hasn’t anybody invented this” conversations. Now, it’s here. I say, it’s about time. Tag it up, peeps.
So an old college buddy of mine and his wife just ditched Texas for three months and headed down to live in Africa. Kenya, to be exact. He’s always been a bit of a wandering spirit, but he’s really gone whole hog this time. He and his wife are working for the Hope Runs charity. I told him that was an ironic name for a 3rd world charity organization. I’m not sure if he didn’t laugh because it was a bad joke or because I just seemed extremely insensitive. Maybe he just wasn’t listening.
Still, I’ve been following his blog and am blown away by the stories and pictures they’re sending. It looks like every day there is something new. Or maybe not. There must be a lot of monotony and adjustment to do. Imagine moving from a comfy life in Austin, TX to a place where the forks bend when you try to mash potatoes. Seriously, check out his blog. You’ll understand the title of this post if you do.
Oh, and because this song comes into my head every time I look at his site, here’s a little soundtrack for you:
Sometimes simple is the most surprising. You know, like stuffing a jalapeño with 1/2 a mini Baby Ruth and throwing it on the grill. Who on earth ever thought of that? I’m not quite sure who came up with the dish but I had a couple as an appetizer at my folks’ house in Fredericksburg, Texas. Yes, chalk up one more Texas surprise from my trip down south.
The picture above actually does the dish justice. If you know what a grilled jalapeño tastes like and if you’ve ever had a Baby Ruth, you can imagine the dish. The slightly crunchy, smoky jalapeño envelopes the gooey caramel peanut crunch of the Baby Ruth. Heck, the whole thing is a bit of an assault on the senses. The sweetness of the candy is the first flavor to hit your tongue but eventually gives way to the tang of the pepper and, if the cook missed a few veins of capsaicin, the spice. The ones we had were just spicy enough to register on the palate but not over power the dish. Delicious and really, really interesting culinary fodder for conversation.
I also got to enjoy a proper bubble tea while we were there. The stuff my folks made was loads better than what I tried to make a few months ago.
Yeah, it’s a creative kitchen there in Fredericksburg. It’s no wonder that when I was a little kid and people asked what my favorite food was I said ‘artichokes.’
We’re working hard this week to sit down to dinners together as a family with Little NH and get her introduced to some new foods. Our time in Texas yielded no progress on this front save for a new love for anything chocolate and Blue Bell ice cream. We thought that by doing more meals around the table with her, we could introduce some new items. For the most part, it has been a success. She’s added a handful of new dishes.
That being said, Brussels sprouts were not one of them. Heck, we do know the limits of some things and didn’t even seriously try. We offered but didn’t push it. As a matter of fact, I had to convince my wife to clean her plate and not try to pawn her last few sprouts off on me. “Set a good example for your daughter,” I said. I’m sure she wanted to kick me under the table – hard.
At any rate, I loved the darn things. They were really easy to make, full of flavor and a great “winter green” compliment to an Emmanthaler-stuffed pork chop and mashed potatoes. I just washed and halved them, sautéed them on the flat side in olive oil and a couple cloves of garlic until they had caramelized and then threw in a few drops of water to steam as the pork chops finished up.
Mrs. NH had actually requested to try them so I was probably way off base to give her a hard time. Little NH helped me make them so maybe there’s even hope for her the next time, too. I just hope no one kicks me under the table.
It has been below freezing for several weeks now in the Czech Republic. It is becoming demoralizing as the days progress and the forecast calls for highs in the 20’s and “snow flurries.” My serotonin levels are bottoming out and the once snowy sidewalks have become a continuous network of cobble-stone and black-ice death traps as I make my way to the metro in the morning. But as the old adage goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” For the purpose of this post, I’ve modified that to, “When Central European weather fronts give you freezing-ass temps and crusty piles snow, chill your vodka.” Beat’s whining about it, doesn’t it?
Here’s the view from my living room on to my balcony:
The family and I went to Stromovka Park last week for some sledding and snow fun. The above is a picture of Little NH and me sledding down a small incline in the park. It was a nice beginner speed, just about the speed of a jog. After that Mrs. NH and Little NH did some bigger hills. We made a snowman and had a blast. It was one of the small upsides of this crazy, snowy, cold Prague winter.
Texas always holds its fair share of surprises and this trip was no different. When a post-concert request for tacos turned into a detour to the “other side of town,” the surprise was well worth the trip. When I requested tacos in the first place, I was expecting something like Taco Cabana. What I got, thanks to a good friend, were Fuel City Tacos.
Yeah, the name confused me as well. I mean, it sounds like a gas station. That’s because it is. It’s literally a hole in the wall of a gas station (complete with bars on late-night visits). They serve Beef Fajita, Chicken Fajita, Pastor, Picadillo and Barbacoa tacos with plenty of options including corn or flour tortillas. The Barbacoa came highly recommended so I got three. Words cannot do these Mexican vessels of delight justice. Fluffy soft, double-wrapped in corn tortilla, the barbacoa sits nestled under a blanket of onions, lime and cilantro. On the side you get a red and a green sauce and I ended up using both liberally. As the juice ran down my arm (and I fought to keep it off my buddy’s car interior), I was transported to a place one rarely gets to visit. The place in your head where you know you are having some of the best food you will ever eat. Fuel City Tacos are the best tacos I have ever had. Ever.
Buoyed by this late night visit, I took the family on a “fuel stop” to Fuel City Tacos on our way out of Big D. This time, our friends had recommended we looked for the “Corn Lady” in front, under an umbrella-topped cart. She was described as serving some of the best corn you’ve ever had. I took the bait and got the corn. It was big kernel corn with a super-concentrated hot sauce, what looked like Chihuahua cheese and maybe mayo. The picture makes it look like kind of a mess but the dish that she served up in the styrofoam cup was excellent. The corn was just the right tenderness and the mix of other ingredients (I ordered mine “gringo” mild and am glad I did) served as the perfect foil to the sweetness of the corn. That followed up by another five barbacoa tacos and we were ready to hit the road down to Austin.
Interestingly, on that drive south, I was overcome by an incredible sense of well-being. Part of it was the fact that I had just spent several days with my bro, his family, and some of the best friends anyone could ever hope for. The other part was the fact that Texas, in general, felt like pulling on a worn pair of jeans and Mr. Rogers sweater after a long day in a suit and shiny leather shoes. Everything makes sense in Texas. Even the fact that the best tacos in the state can be found at a gas station.
Hi, there. Good to see you again. I’ve been out on a bit of a winter break, I guess. I have tons of reasons why I haven’t blogged in ages. In classic blogger fashion, I’ll offer myself as the center of the universe and tell you why I haven’t blogged in such a long while:
1) I was traveling seeing friends and family in Texas. I was eating, drinking and celebrating too much to find time to blog.
2) Since I’ve been back, all of that eating and drinking has caught up to me. I have constant heartburn and cooking up new recipes has taken a back seat of late.
3) I have totally revamped all computers in my home as well as my wireless network. That has eaten up all my free time after work.
4) Work has been fast and furious since my return and I’ve written a lot of BS there so I don’t feel much need to write further BS to you when I return home.
However, with all those excuses now behind me and my fist clutching a bottle of Zantac, I realize that I’m full of new blog posts just itching to be published. I have loads of thoughts and impressions on Texas people, food and music as well as everything that goes with getting into the 21st Century world of Windows 7 all across the house. There are even some politics that interest me these days from Ukraine to Massachusetts. And, now that I see people are using Google translate to translate my blog from English to Russian, it’s good to see that my brilliance is going around the world.
Take heart, dear readers. I’m NotHemingway and the 2010 fun is about to begin!
The end of my first trip to Texas in three years is nigh and I am sipping one of my last American beers in the Houston airport. Thanks to Google, I’m on free wi-fi and get to catch up on some mind numbing web surfing and prepare for the 12 hour flight ahead.
This has been an incredible trip. Sitting in Prague, only glued into the Internet and a smattering of US news, one can get the impression that America has seen its last best days. Being here, in person, amongst Texans, I get a completely different impression. Yes, times are hard. Some are faring better than others in these dicey economic times but most are getting by or will be in short measure. The quality of life here continues to be one of the highest and most egalitarian that I have seen anywhere in the world. And, if your idea of good living is great music, pretty country, succulent BBQ and incredible Tex-Mex, then everyone here is living like a king.
The American dream continues to roll on, meaning different things to different people. Many are oblivious to what is happening outside their towns, and contrary to popular thought, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It hasn’t been many generations since man has had reason to worry about what is going on in other places other than the 20 city blocks that they frequent. Kind of hard to blame them, isn’t it?
Typically, trips like these leave me conflicted. This one is no different. Family and friends are in abundance here and I miss and love each one of them. But we’ve also made a really good life over in the Czech Republic. We’ve been blessed with great friends, days that are always interesting and unpredictable and the chance of a lifetime. Luckily, Mrs. NH and I agree that we’re not quite ready for the end of this chapter abroad.
That being said, there’s no place in the world like this great state. It has everything that is great about this country. The best thing is, as we mess around abroad, Texas just seems to keep on keepin’ on and get better on the way. So, if this Russian analyst is, in fact, correct, at least I can still be a Texan.
We’ve been bouncing from town to town, house to house, party to party, concert to concert and Tex-Mex to BBQ since I arrived in the great state of Texas. We’ve spent lots of time with old friends and even more time with family that we haven’t seen in years. I’ll admit, I’ve found myself wondering why we live in the Czech Republic when life here is so good, easy and friends and family are so close. Of course, I’ve just decided to concentrate more on tacos, margaritas and all of the great music in this state instead of worrying about the mysteries of life.
I’ve already gotten too deep here. Time for a margarita. Happy New Year.
I bought the wrong thing for everyone this Christmas. They’re all going to be opening up presents and wishing they had this DVD instead. This band is really blowing my mind. And, on this DVD, they blow the minds of everyone at the O2.
It’s astounding – the hits, slow burners, all well filmed. The 5.1 mix is enveloping and not distracting. The whole thing reminds me of when I saw them in Houston a few years ago. Isn’t that the best compliment of all, reminding you of when you were there?
This is the greatest band in America. Buy the DVD and tell me I’m wrong.
The girls have been out for the last couple weeks and I’ve taken advantage of the time to restructure my entire home entertainment system. It’s been a real advantage to not have to do it while either Little or Mrs. NH are here and would like to do something like oh, I don’t know, actually watch TV?
I started on Tuesday night after I had picked up my new HP Slimline from the post office. I again used the incredible Windows Easy Transfer to transfer all of my TV and video files to an external drive and then to my new machine. It worked without the slightest hiccup and combined with Ninite, I was able to get the majority of the configuration done the first night.
On night two came the hard part. I actually had to tear down the mess of wiring behind the living room entertainment center. Needless to say, the scene back there looked like something out of Terminator Salvation – a mess of dusty cables from aborted home theater experiments. But I did manage to cull the mess and even vacuumed up behind there all the while labeling each of the cords with masking tape to try to avoid a similar mess in the future.
Then, it was time for the moment of truth. I plugged the new box, all the hard drives, IR blasters and USB dongles in and let ‘er rip. Setup in its final form was astonishingly simple. By the end of the night I had digital audio, Slingbox, and even Zune integration all configured and humming.
The next morning, with 10 minutes, a cup of coffee and 2 chocolate chip cookies (I’m a bachelor, remember?) I had over 200 DVD’s complete with 5.1 surround sound and cover art imported, all thanks to My Moves 3. Boom, I was done. On Saturday night I was watching high-def movies in 5.1 and loving every second of it – I’m not sure if the neighbors agreed.
The bottom line is this – Windows 7 has finally made the consumer-grade media center ready for prime time. Setup was friendly, straightforward and if you don’t require a bunch of bells and whistles like me, it could be done in under a couple hours. Coming from someone who spent the better part of a year wrestling with a Windows Vista installation and configuration, that’s high praise.
So if you’re on the fence, this might be the time to go for it. The OS is there. Just make sure you account for some growth. Everything is going to be HD soon so keep that in mind when looking at those bargain basement, no-graphics-card “mini” PC’s. Having lived with an underpowered machine running a bloated OS for about 3 years, that’s a scenario I would wish on no one.
I have to imagine that the GPS hardware market is a tough place in which to compete these days. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that even the most Luddite of my friends all own a unit. So, what is it that goes into your decision when upgrading your hardware? I’m sure price, size and maps all go into it. But as many things in the gadget world, the “killer app” also comes into play, no? This is where the Garmin Voice Studio comes in.
