Greg Ahern's Blog
Halloween comic you do not want to show your kids.
Crowd Sourcing Politics
Jeff Bezos is sticking with his model of giving devices away so you cna purchase more books and movies. Today Amazon anounced the release of their new products providing better quality for less. In the next couple weeks Apple is announcing their new devices. it will be interesting to campare them. Here is what was annouced today.
Kindle Touch – $69, shipped Sept 14th, new font, 15% faster
Kindle PaperWhite – $179 with 3G, $119 WIFI only, shipped Oct 1, 3G, 212 pixels per inch, no physical buttons, 8 week battery life.
Kindle Fire – $159 standard model , $499 for 8.9″ 32GB HD model, $299 for 8.9″16GB HD model, $199 for 7″ 16 GB HD model, they ship Sept 14. And you can purchase a data plan for $50 a year with 250 MB per month with 20 GB cloud storage. All are 40% faster processor, 16 GB memory.
Sette on Mt Evans, 14,130 ft in Spring of 2012
This is my first 29er mountain bike and I have to say I am sold. What everyone says about 29ers is true. It is easier to get over obstacles and you can really pick up speed when you need to. What I was not sure about was the gearing. I ended up with a wide range with a 3×10 but I find myself only using the middle front ring. Perhaps I will switch to a 1×10 just to keep things simple.
The Sette Razzo is an aluminum framed hard tail. I put the bike together in about 30 minutes. The transfer of power with the hard tail is great compared to my old full suspension. The components work as expected. The only thing I noticed is that I have to tighten everything up every 2-3 rides. For example the back wheel loosened up, actually almost popped off as I was hopping rock, the seat loosed up. The bike is quiet except when it starts loosening then it starts to creak. I ride primarily single track that has obstacles up to a foot high. I am 5.11 and got an 18 inch frame. The frame fits but is on the edge of being too small. Specifically the seat is set as far back as possible.
The only changes I made to the bike are tubeless & better tires, eggbeater pedals and new grips, the ones that are wide and flat.
All in all for $1000 this is great bike to bang around.
| Frame | Sette Razzo 29er 7005 Series Aluminum With Butted Tubes | |
| Size(s) | 16″, 18″, 20″, 22″ | |
| Fork | Rock Shox Recon Silver Solo Air TK 100mm | |
| Shifters | Sram X.7 Triggers 3×10 Speed | |
| Front Derailleur | Sram X.7 Top Swing Top Pull | |
| Rear Derailleur | Sram X.7 Long Cage 10 Speed | |
| Shifter Cable/Housing | Jagwire | |
| Brake Levers | Avid Elixir | |
| Front Brake | Avid Elixir 1 160mm G3 rotor | |
| Rear Brake | Avid Elixir 1 160mm G3 rotor | |
| Crankset | Sram X.7 44-32-22t 175mm | |
| Bottom Bracket | Sram GXP | |
| Cassette | Sram PG-1030 11-36t 10 Speed | |
| Chain | Sram PC-1031 10 Speed | |
| Headset | FSA Sealed | |
| Handlebar | Sette Edge 20mm Rise 710mm Width | |
| Grips/Tape | Sette Type-S Lock On | |
| Stem | Sette Edge (16″ 80mm, 18″ & 20″ 90mm, 22″ 100mm) | |
| Saddle | Sette Rez | |
| Seatpost | Sette Edge 27.2 x 400mm | |
| Wheelset | Inferno 23 Rims With Formula DC 32 Hole Sealed Bearings Hubs | |
| Front Tire | Kenda Slant Six 29×2.0 | |
| Rear Tire | Kenda Slant Six 29×2.0 | |
| Color(s) | White/Black | |
| Warranty | 5 Years | |
| Weight | 26.5 pounds (Sz. 18″ without pedals) |
It’s about time. I was so bummed when all the book prices jumped up after Apple and the Nook started selling books. It made no sense, without publishing and distribution the cost for e-books should be less than a physical book. Never mind the fact that you can’t really share or give away an e-book like you can a physical book. I ended up buying real books again if the price for the e-book was the same or higher. Here is my previous post on this subject with profit breakdowns.
I would not mind if the extra money was going directly to the author but I doubt that was happening.
People started protesting and rating good books with one star on Amazon to punish the publishers. In the end it probably hurt the authors. Even Amazon notes that the price is set by the publisher not them.
Let’s hope e-book price drops to a fair price.
This year on our annual Colorado hut trip my friend told me he felt more stable? We looked at him, 50 pounds of food and gear weighting him down at 10k feet. Did he mean mentally or physically? After ribbing him on his mental stability he explained that he has had a stand up desk for the last month.
The first time I saw a person with a stand up desk, besides the drafting department when I was an engineer, was ten years ago. It was an adjustable drafting table that had a computer on it. I have to admit the thought of standing all day is not appealing but on the other hand I was currently sitting for eleven to twelve hours a day then after getting home would promptly sit again. The only time I was not sitting was when I was sitting on my mountain bike…
So I got some boxes and a board and propped my monitors and keyboard up. The first week was hard, but after making some adjustments I find it very comfortable. I am more alert and I feel like a got a bit of a work out by the end of the day. Below are some quick bullets about a stand up desk.
Benefits:
- It is better for your back
- You do not fall asleep after lunch
- Your legs are getting a mild work out
- Increases calorie burning
- Keeps insulin at healthy levels
- Keeps HDL and Cholesterol at a healthy level
- Tips for a comfortable stand up desk
- Get a standing mat or small rug with foam under it
- Get inserts for your shoes with good heel foam
- Were comfortable shoes
- Get a three foot stool to sit on for breaks
- Don’t stand all day especially in the beginning. First try just standing a couple hours at a time then build from there. In now find I may read on the stool but always type standing.
- Change your position, legs together, legs apart, leaning on one leg more than another.
- Don’t put your elbows on your desk
- Don’t lean into your desk with your belly
- Keep you shoulders, hips , knees and ankles all in an imaginary straight line so your back is being supported by your bones more that your muscles. For example don’t lean, slouch etc.
Stand up desk exercises (for those that can’t stand still)
- Stand on your toes
- Stand on one leg
- Stand on one leg on your toes
- Stand on one leg with your knee bent, foot lifted behind or one leg lifted to you side
- Tuck your butt in, back up straight
- Tuck your butt in and bend your knees slightly like if you where skiing, keep you back straight. This is actually a very comfortable position.
Other links and articles.
- Get Up, Stand Up
- Too much Sitting Kill Study
- Are you sitting down? Why a stand up desk may save your life
- The most dangerous thing you do all day
- Is your office chair killing you?
- Become a stand up guy, history of stand up desks
- How I switched to a stand up desk
- A desk could save your life
- Ergotron.com
- Standupdesks.com
For years mobile shopping has been something that is always in the sandbox and never really worked in reality. However this year with a larger population using tablets we may start to see more mobile users shopping from a wireless device. I think the big reason why is a cell phone is just too small to communicate as effectively as a larger screened tablet.
That said I can see the future with apps that make it easier to purchase via your phone. Essentially allowing you to not have to fill out a form. The old “Amazon One Click” for your cell phone that works on all sites.
Here is some data from Mojiva:
70% of mobile users report to spend more that $20 on electronic items
40% say they will spend up to $50 per gift.
It will be interesting to see the results in first quarter on how many holiday purchases where made via a mobile devices such as a cell phone and tablet.
Damandbase.com and Focus.com latest study 2011 Demandbase National Marketing and Sales Study breaks down lead acquisition as follows:
23% of sales leads come from the corporate website
14% come from email campaigns
7% from online ads
3% from social media
I have heard from other lead aggregators that their social and wireless efforts have not paid off so this data seems accurate. There may also be an offset by defining the leads from the online ads compared to the corporate site. Often users follow the ad but do not submit info. Then go back after reviewing other sites from a different URL directly to the site. Bottom line is 23% of sales from corporate websites is significant.
Damandbase conclusion is that corporate sites are still not putting enough content and product / service information to satisfy and persuade the prospective customer. This indicates that the 23% would increase with the correct content and call to action.
