Author: patrick

Well, ok, got one for my wife. After playing with it a bit I am still convinced that PocketPC’s will beat palm OS eventually.However, for the casual user or elite palm user, the Sony PEG-T615C represents the best Palm based PDA available today. The screen is a bright 65k color 320×320 screen. Looks good indoors, under light, with no light, or in direct light. Haven’t taken it outside to see how it does in direct sunlight, but I doubt my wife will use it outside anyways. After using a PocketPC (iPaq) for the last 2 years, and being spoiled by its fast 206mhz StronARM processor, using something that is based on a lowly 33mhz dragonball processor, I was plesently surprised with how fast the 615 actually responds. Programs launch and close in a snap. Memory management is really limited, since it seems to close every program as soon as you open another. This is another difference between the current PocketPC 2002 OS, which leaves everything open until memory starts running low. The screen was nice and responsive, though my biggest complaint is the screen real estate used by the graphite writing area. I am again so spoiled by Transcriber on PocketPC to go back to using Graphitte, but again, for a Palm user, its not an issue, or for someone that’s never used a PocketPC its fine. One thing I do like is the softness of the screen. We did put on a screen protector right away, which is something I wish I had done from the start with my iPaq. The fine lines and details that the screen is able to pick up is fantastic. Not being a Picasso, my artistic skills are limited to squigglily lines and marks, but nonetheless I was impressed by the overall responsiveness of the screen.Overall, I’d say this is the best Palm based PDA on the market. 16megs of ram, full color, memory stick slot, great suite of software, cool design, comes with a leather cover and just plain works. However, I won’t be trading my iPaq in any time soon for a Palm. We’ll see how my wife likes it…

Wow, I’m watching 24 on Fox, and all I can say is this is one of the best shows on television right now. Too bad its only #59 in the ratings of top 100 shows, Keifer Sutherland does a great job and the way its shot, hour by hour in real time makes it stand out from all other shows.Of course you have to really see it from the beginning, but this show is a great show. Amazing story arch and wonderful acting. If you can’t see it on Tuesday nights, check the replay on Fridays on Fox.

Well, I am… sort of. Actually my wife is. Now my kneejerk reaction was to upgrade my iPaq and give her mine. But at $500 for the new iPaq’s I decided that this probably wasn’t the best use of money.So I started looking around and found the Sony Clie’ PEG-T615C which looks pretty cool. Only problem is it isn’t available till the end of the month. So I guess its wait and let her look at it and see if its what she wants. Of course this on comes in at $400 but here’s the deal. We have a Sony Credit Card which earns us points towards Sony products. So I can buy down the cost of this thing to a very reasonable cost. I guess the only real question is, will I be able to find one when there are available? The only downside to the PEG-T615C is no “official support for Macintosh” which I wonder about. Frankly, alot of things aren’t official supported, but yet still work on a Macintosh. So I hope this will be able to work on her G4 using the Palm or Handspring Desktop interface. Otherwise, she’ll be using my PC for syncing and installing. Not a big deal really, but will test the Windows XP compatibilities :)Oh well… Guess its worth it, she loves my iPaq, plays games on it. But I know that’s not the real reason she wants one. I know she’ll use it for ToDo items, grocery lists, contacts, appointments and the finances. So it will get a lot of use, plus since its in color, we can resize a bunch of photos from our sony digital camera and store them on it so we don’t have to carry photos around, just show them on the great 320×320 65k color screen. Oh and it uses the same memory stick that the camera and video camera use, so that’s 3 devices plus all the computers that can read and write to memory sticks. Now if just my iPaq could use sony’s memory sticks I’d be in heaven.I know some of you are thinking, wait, you are such a PocketPC fan! Yeah, well, for me, my iPaq from Compaq has been a lifesaver, but for my wife, its overkill. And I know there won’t be any official or unofficial mac support for PocketPC’s anytime soon. So a Palm based PDA was my only choice. And even though the Clie doesn’t support mac’s I have a feeling that I’ll be able to sync it to a mac. Plus using my sony points helps offset the cost :)If you have any thoughts on what pda to get, drop me an email at patrick@stuarttech.com

Well, here it is the big day… WWF’s Annual Royal Rumble.Yes, your’s truely is a WWF fan and can’t wait to see tonight’s events.Everyone always asks me, why do you watch that garbage? Well to me, having the acting background and all, I see the WWF as very few outside the business do. It is theatre, theatre in its rawest forms. Theatre in the round, only its a squared circle with ropes.Give wresling a chance, watch it with the same eye as you watch a broadway show or your local civic theatre. You’ll find some of the hardest working, most physically fit, and more committed to their craft then anywhere else. These men and women are willing to go to extremes to but on a show.Tonight marks the return of HHH (Triple H or Hunter Hearst Helmsley)to the PPV (Pay Per View)which should make things very interesting. HHH’s story over the last 8 months is proof of the committment and desire these performers are willing to go through to get back into the ring. HHH torn his quadricep in the ring against Chris Jericho. He didn’t stop the match, didn’t lay down and wryth in agony. He continued the match, not knowing the extent of his injury. After the match he found his quadrecip had snapped up to his thigh! Well, after 8 months of 10 days of rehab and surgery, he’s back, looking just jacked and ready to rock. Amazing recovery from someone that doctors told would never get back into the ring. Just the proof of the dedication these guys have for their craft.Anyways, if you can, catch WWF Raw on Monday nights on TNN and WWF Smackdown on UPN.

Well, its Saturday and it seems like after 10 days of being sick, I am finally starting to feel close to normal. After Wednesday, I was basically sick of being sick, but now I think I’m out of the woods.Should be some good football on today, we’ll see who wins. Of course my Minnesota Vikings didn’t even make the playoffs. So really I don’t care who wins, just looking for good games today and tommorrow.Well, the baby is fussing and the Wife is taking a nap, so I gotta run and take care of the baby… See ya.

Saw this quote today as the header at www.pocketpcpassion.com and wondered… What is mine?I’d have to say that my one true passion is technology. I love technology. Now granted, I’m married, and my only passion is my wife and my family, but I have a passion to understand and embrace all types of Technology.People often ask you, what are your hobbies? I have always had a hard time answering that, but now I have an answer. Basically I never associated hobbies and a passion. One can have many hobbies, but really one true passion. Of course that passion for something doesn’t even have to be a hobby either. So if anyone asks me what my passion is… I can tell them its technology… If they ask me what my hobbies are, I can tell them that its playing with technology, gadgets, toys, games, electronics, computers, audio and visual entertainment, etc. Course I do like sports and will always catch my wife and I watching NASCAR or Football on Sundays (Depends on who gets the remote 🙂 )Anyway, back to lunch, and back to work…

Wow, never thought I’d hear from someone at dish network after my ranting and various emails fired off to tech@dishnetwork.com and feedback@dishnetwork.com.
But I did…
Here it is…

Dear Mr. Stuart,

Thank you for your email. We would like to apologize on behalf of the DISH Network for the way that our representatives handled your issue. It is certainly not our policy to provide anything less than the best quality customer service in our abilities.

We take our customer service seriously and strive to be the best in our industry. Our customers are very important to us and we sincerely apologize for the service, which you have received. Please understand that as a growing company, we are continuously training all of our employees and constantly evaluating our customer service. Although there is a tremendous amount of information with which our representatives are expected to cope, there is no excuse for being inconsistent or insufficient to those that have made us what we are today-our customers!

I checked the account that you indicated below. Both $14.95 shipping charges have been removed from your account. You will see the credit for the second fee on your next billing statement. I checked your return authorization for the receiver. The receiver was shipped from our warehouse on January 7, 2002 by UPS. UPS is stating that the receiver was delivered to the address on your account on January 10, 2002. The additional outlet for the receiver has been added back to your account as of January 10, 2002. You were given a credit for the additional outlet. You will see this credit on your next billing statement.
We appreciate that you have brought this to our attention so that we may address the issue with the appropriate personnel. Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies and we thank you for your feedback. Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to www.dishnetwork.com or reply to this email and include all previous correspondence so that we may assist you promptly. If you are a current customer, you may also use our website to view your current or previous billing statements, add services, or make paymentsto your account. Please use the link below to launch yourself to the most user-friendly Customer Support Center available today.
(The link didn’t work! Great Quality!)

Sincerely,

KC Moore
Customer Care
DISH Network

Welcome to PatrickStuart.com or really patrickstuart.stuarttech.com.Anyway, you found your way here… Home of the Random Thoughts, Rants and Raves directly from the mind of Patrick Stuart.Over the next several posts I will be introducing myself a bit more, and basically just posting whatever I feel.I own Stuarttech.com and Patrickstuart.com and use them for my own personal use. They are not businesses as of yet, as I am gainfully employed, but one never knows what might come of that.Anyway, enough for now, drop me an email if you read this…