The Muzzy's Blog

Classy McCain

nospam@example.com (Alec) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:11:12 -0400

This ad ran a couple hours before Obama made his acceptance speech in Denver. This reminds me of the "Classic McCain". The man with class, humility and a sense of doing what is right. Lately "Classic McCain" has been replaced by "New Coke McCain". He's flip-flopped on so many issues, I don't know what he stands for any more.

Was this just a strategic ploy intended to take attention away from Obama? Sure. But it's still classy. He could have thrown mud. He could have announced his VP nominee today. Instead, he took the higher road. Well done McCain. I salute you.

Jott Makes a Move

nospam@example.com (Alec) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:29:49 -0400

I wrote about Jott before. Jott is a Seattle company which uses intelligent voice recognition software to connect your phone with a number of useful online applications such as Google Calendar. I've found their service to be convenient, especially when leaving OB or Pediatrician offices. I simply call the 1-800 number, and speak the details of our next appointment (i.e. "Pediatrician appointment on Monday the 18th at 8am") and it's added to my calendar. Much easier than trying to type it into my phone with one hand while holding a crying baby in the other. Taking home a reminder card requires me to remember to put it on my calendar when I get home.

When I wrote about Jott before, I mentioned that they lacked a revenue stream. They were totally dependent on venture capitol. Well that has changed. Jott has announced a pricing structure for their service. No one likes to pay for something which used to be for free, but this is one case where it's probably worth it. $3.95/mo for unlimited service seems like an excellent value for what Jott provides. They also provide a Pre-Paid Plan which is probably the best bang-per-buck for most casual users.

If you find yourself having to set yourself reminders, to-do events or simple notes you should really check out Jott. With some simple tools like KiGoo, GCalDaemon or Google Calendar Sync it's easy to sync this to your existing calendar applications.

For the record, I still think Jott will be bought up by Microsoft and have their software integrated into a future version of Exchange. Even though $3.95/mo is a bargain, I don't think it will be enough to make Jott profitable.

First Batch of Baby Pictures

nospam@example.com (Alec) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:45:56 -0400

The first batch of baby pictures are now up in the photo gallery. You can find them here.

Finding a Rythym

nospam@example.com (Alec) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:30:30 -0400

Taking the advice of our OB, we are trying to "split the load, not share it". Meaning, we take turns dealing with Patrick when he can't stop crying instead of having both of us get upset. We're also sleeping when he does. While 45 minutes of sleep at a time isn't much, it's better than nothing.

Surprising things I've discovered so far include: 1, There is no "universal size" when it comes to bottle nipples. Now I get to drive back to the store to return the ones I've bought and try again. 2, The standard receiving blanket size of 30"x30" is way too small to swaddle a baby. Get yourself the 36"x36" size!