One of the surprises when I installed Microsoft Office 365 on the Windows side of my MacBook Air was that there were serious issues with Outlook 2013 and Evernote. If you are like me and use Evernote to help manage your life be careful about upgrading to Microsoft Outlook 2013. Even now, some 4 months after the release of Outlook 2013, Evernote has not resolved the issues and as of yesterday Evernote does not function with Outlook 2013.  For more on this check out this link –http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/31778-evernote-plug-in-for-outlook-2013/.

In addition to not working, Evernote will hang Outlook 2013. So if you depend on being able to store emails in Evernote you may want to think twice about upgrading to 2013. Thankfully I have one machine still on Outlook 2010 so can stumble through but it is not very efficient or pretty.

To all you golfers out there FEHERTY – CBS GOLF ANNOUNCER A few choice Dave Feherty quotes are below. If you watch golf on TV he’s often an announcer. Has a distinct N. Ireland accent and a colorful way of putting things, just as below. Feherty is a CBS and Golf Channel announcer who finds very unique, colorful and uninhibited ways of explaining or describing whatever is on his mind… probably always on time delay these days. Feherty Quotes:

“Fortunately, Rory is 22 years old so his right wrist should be the strongest muscle in his body.” “That ball is so far left, Lassie couldn’t find it if it was wrapped in bacon.” “I am sorry Nick Faldo couldn’t be here this week. He is attending the birth of his next wife.” “They don’t do comedy at the Masters. The Masters, for me, is like holding onto a really big collection of gas for a week. It’s like having my buttocks surgically clenched at Augusta General Hospital on Wednesday, and surgically unclenched on Monday on the way to Hilton Head.” Jim Furyk’s swing “looks like an octopus falling out of a tree.” “He’s (Luke Donald) a bloody walking ATM. I slid my AmEx between the cheeks of his ass and out popped $500.” Describing VJ Singh’s prodigious practice regime – “VJ hits more balls than Elton John’s chin.” (Thought I was going to hurt myself laughing) “That’s a great shot with that swing.” “It’s OK – the bunker stopped it.” At Augusta 2011 – “It’s just a glorious day. The only way to ruin a day like this would be to play golf on it.” “That was a great shot – if they’d have put the pin there today.” “Everything moves except his bowels.” “Watching Phil Mickelson play golf is like watching a drunk chasing a balloon near the edge of a cliff.” “That green appears smaller than a Pygmies’ nipple”.

Forward this to any golfers with a sense of humor.

Children in Church

A little boy was in a relative’s wedding. As he was coming down the aisle, he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd. While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, “I was being the Ring Bear.”

One Sunday in a Midwest City , a young child was “acting up” during the morning worship hour. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle. Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little one called loudly to the congregation, “Pray for me! Pray for me!”

One particular four-year old prayed, “And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.”

A little boy was overheard praying: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am.”

A Sunday School teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, looking at the old pages as he turned them. Then something fell out of the Bible. He picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that has been pressed in between the pages. “Mama, look what I found,” the boy called out. “What have you got there, dear?” his mother asked. With astonishment in the young boy’s voice he answered, “It’s Adam ‘s suit.”

The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, “If he gets loose, will he hurt us?”

Six-year old Angie , and her four-year old brother, Joel, were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. “You’re not supposed to talk out loud in church.” “Why? Who’s going to stop me?” Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, “See those two men standing by the door? They’re hushers.”

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked , “Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?” I mentally polished my halo, while I asked, “No, how are we alike?” “You’re both old,” he replied.

A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then, one day, she floored her grandmother by asking, “Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus ? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin ?”

A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments and they were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted,

“Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor’s wife.”

Live life one day at a time and make it a masterpiece!

This is my first blog post written on and about my new 21.5” iMac. The one I ordered is the standard configuration except for the Fusion drive. The Fusion drive pairs a 128 GB solid-state drive (SSD) with the standard 1-terabyte conventional hard drive.  Once one gets used to the speed available with an SSD it tends to be addicting, my MacBook Air has a SSD, so I found the $250.00 upgrade an easy decision.  The Fusion drive stores the boot and other system files on the SSD and as you use the iMac it moves those things, documents and programs, that you use most to the SSD substantially speeding access. Rather than the wireless keyboard and mouse I opted for the full size USB keyboard (I want the 10-key number pad) and the wireless trackpad. Here again the decision to go with the trackpad over the mouse was drive by my experience with the MacBook Air. There are many more options available with the trackpad over the mouse. With the new slimmed down iMac Apple opted to forego an internal optical drive. For some the lack of an internal optical drive might be seen as a negative but here again the MacBook Air does not have one and the same external USB drive, a $79.00 item, that I have for the Air works on the iMac. Also, less and less of what we load to our computers comes on a CD or DVD so we find fewer uses for an optical drive. Because the Apples store at Scottsdale Quarter does not stock the 21.5” model with the Fusion drive I ordered online.  The good news is that I received it a week or more earlier than projected at the time I made the order.

Once unpacked and plugged in the process of setting up the iMac began. Because I use them on my iPad I had Pages and Numbers installed by Apple ($19.95 each) but for heavier duty work I wanted more robust options. Rather than acquire Microsoft Office for the Mac I opted for the one-month fee trial of the new Office 365 that is essentially a service that you purchase from Microsoft at a cost of $9.99 per month or $100 per year. In addition to the Office software the monthly fee includes 20 GB SkyDrive storage and 60 Minutes of international Skype calls. The Mac version is Office 2011 not the latest 2013 version available for Windows but one of the selling points for Office 365 is that for the annual fee you get upgrades. So when Microsoft brings out the new Mac version it will be upgraded. By the way the $9.99 monthly fee is for up to 5 computers, PC’s or Mac’s, so those of us with more than one machine the math really works.  For instance the Home and Business version of Office for the Mac is $220 per machine. I will let you know how this works.

Once again I was disappointed with the Mac version of Quicken. I downloaded and installed the program and imported the data file. Everything worked fine until I attempted to reconcile with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo does not support the latest version of Quicken – it does the two older versions – so uninstall and request a refund.  Intuit offers a 60-day money back option.  Mine lasted about 2 hours. So you may want to check with your financial institution before installing Quicken for the Mac.

Configuration continues as I have not made the decision as to installing Windows on this machine – the leader in the clubhouse is no as I have Windows running on the MacBook Air and only need Windows for two items, the aforementioned Quicken and the Send Individually plug-in for Outlook. As a part of the transition from the Windows world I setup a Dropbox account and moved all of the data files from the Windows machine. Dropbox works from any device including the iPad and iPhone. 2GB of storage is available from Dropbox free but I have quite a bit more than that so I sprung for the 100 GB option at $9.99 per month – see a pattern here? A side benefit of having your data files on Dropbox or other cloud storage is that you have a backup that is off site something that we should all do.

That’s it for today but as I move forward with this transition I will keep you posted.

I am about to embark on a complete divorce from the Windows PC world. You may or may not recall from a previous post, but last summer I did not take a Windows PC to Minnesota instead relying totally on my Apple MacBook Air. It was a non-event; for the five months we were in Minnesota I was able to complete everything without a hitch. Now, I do run Windows under Parallels on the MacBook Air as there are two things that did not, and one that still does not, have a viable Apple alternative but more about that in a minute. Since returning to Arizona this past fall, I have been using both the Apple and PC switching more based on which one was closest than anything else.  Well my HP 18” laptop is beginning to show it’s age. The keyboard is having a few issues and Windows 8 is probably not an option. (I checked the HP website on the Windows 8 issue and found that they have not tested this model.) Given what I have heard and read a goodly percentage of PC’s from the two or more years ago have witnessed problems with Windows 8.

So a replacement is due and I will be replacing the HP with an Apple 21.5” iMac.  Yep, not a notebook.  I might have been tempted to go with another Apple notebook except Apple has discontinued the 17” model and for some work I wanted something larger than a 15” display. The iMac is quite a machine; in addition to 8 gigs of memory there is also 512 mb dedicated video memory. The standard hard drive is 1 terabyte but I opted for the optional fusion drive which marries a 128 GB Solid State Drive (SSD) with the 1 terabyte conventional hard drive. My MacBook Air has a Solid State Drive and the boot speed and other operational speeds are addicting ergo the decision.  What the fusion drive does is to store not only the boot sequences on the SSD but as you use the system it moves those applications and data you use most to the SSD speeding these operations as well. As with cars speed in computers is addicting!

Now to the two things where an Apple alternative is or was not available. One, Quicken for the Mac seems to have matured to the point that I will make that move.  However, the second is an Outlook add-in called Send Individually and for the life of me I cannot find anything for the Mac that comes close. I have written about this add-in previously but what it does is allow me to send email to larger groups than my ISP will allow.  Typically, an ISP, and the number varies, will at some point block a large number of email addresses on one email.  I am not sure where the ISP I use draws that line but I have a few groups that are over the limit. Send Individually solves this issue by instead of sending all of the emails at one time it sends them one at a time and works like a charm. Will I be running Windows on the iMac, while the jury is still out on that one the leader in the clubhouse is no. I have the MacBook Air and it handles that one operation without a glitch making the decision to purchase additional copies of Windows and Parallels difficult.

One issue in this change that I thought was going to be a problem turned out to be easy.  I have a lot of data on the HP and did not want to move all of it to the MacBook Air’s 256 GB SSD drive. First, it turns out that my 1 terabyte Western Digital backup drive that I was using on the PC is readable with the Mac so no issue there.  Also, I setup a DropBox account and now have files available regardless which device I am using, including my iPad and iPhone.

So I guess a reasonable question is why the iMac rather than another PC. Part of it is probably laziness – I am not crazy about another learning curve to move to Windows 8 as I am totally comfortable with the Mac operating system. Second, having all of my devices on the Apple system has more than a little appeal. My son, only half-jokingly, said that the PC world would probably shake given that I have been a PC person since the first IBM PC but I assured him that everything will be alright. Apple does not currently stock the 21.5” iMac with the fusion drive in the stores so mine will be here in a couple of weeks and as things go on I will keep you updated.

In ancient Greece (469 – 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about Diogenes?”

“Wait a moment,” Socrates replied, “Before you tell me I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.”

“Triple filter?” asked the acquaintance.

“That’s right,” Socrates continued, “Before you talk to me about Diogenes let’s take a moment to filter what you’re going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“No,” the man said, “Actually I just heard about it.””All right,” said Socrates, “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about Diogenes something good?”

“No, on the contrary…”

“So,” Socrates continued, “You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, even though you’re not certain it’s true?”

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.   Socrates continued, “You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about Diogenes going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really.”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?”

The man was bewildered and ashamed. This is an example of why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

It also explains why Socrates never found out that Diogenes was banging his wife.

Just in case  ya didn’t know…              yaa, yo-bet-sha…It’s true
Minnesota  became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858 and was originally settled by a lost  tribe of Norwegians seeking refuge from the searing heat of Wisconsin ‘s  winters.
Minnesota gets  it’s name from the Sioux Indian word “mah-nee-soo-tah,” meaning, “No,  really…  They eat fish soaked in lye.”

The state song  of Minnesota is “Someday the Vikings will…  Aw, never  mind.”
The Mall of  America in Bloomington , Minnesota covers 9.5 million square feet and has  enough space to hold 185,000 idiot teenagers yapping away on cell  phones.
Madison, Minnesota is known as “the lutefisk capital of the world.” Avoid this city  at all costs.

“The Mary  Tyler Moore Show”  was set in Minneapolis , Minnesota , and was  Mary’s first real acting job since leaving the “Dick van Dyke Show.   The show about a single woman’s struggle to find happiness in the big city  was originally titled “Life Without Dick,” but that was changed for some  reason.

Downtown  Minneapolis has an enclosed skyway system covering 52 blocks, allowing  people to live, work, eat, and sleep without ever going outside.  The  only downside to this is that a Norwegian occasionally turns up  missing.

Cartoonist  Charles M. Shultz was born in Minneapolis , Minnesota and grew up in  St.  Paul.  He was the only artist to accurately depict the  perfectly circular heads of Minnesota natives.

The Hormel  Company of Austin , Minnesota produces 6 million cans of Spam a year, even  though no one actually eats it.  Spam is a prized food in Japan &  Hawaii–Spam sushi!!

Minnesota  license plates are blue & white and contain the phrase “Blizzards on  the 4th of July – you get used to it.”

Frank C. Mars,  founder of the Mars Candy Co. was born in Newport, Minnesota . His 3  Musketeers candy bar originally contained three bars in one wrapper, each  filled with a different flavor of nougat -chocolate, Spam and  lutefisk.

Tonka trucks  continue to be manufactured in Minnetonka, Minnesota, despite the  thousands of GI Joe dolls killed by them annually in rollover  accidents.  No airbags, no seat belts.  These things are  deathtraps, I tell ya!

Author Laura  Ingalls Wilder was raised at Walnut Grove, Minnesota, and was famous for  writing the “Little House” series of books, as well as inventing the “Spam  diet” which consists of looking at a plate of Spam until you lose your  appetite.  Much like the “lutefisk diet”.

The snowmobile  was invented in Roseau , Minnesota so as to allow families a means of  attending 4th of July picnics

Minnesotans  are almost indistinguishable from Wisconsinites.  The only way to  tell them apart is to ask if they voted for Mondale in  ’84.

 Now…   it’s up to you to forward this to all your friends If one of them does not  forward it to others, he/she will be given an entrance pin to attend the  Eelpout Festival in Walker, MN….in  February —

Cold is a  relative thing ya know….

At 65 degrees,  Arizonans turn on the heat. People in Minnesota plant gardens.
At 60,  Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in Minnesota sunbathe.
At  50, Italian & English cars won’t start. People in Minnesota drive with  the windows down..
At 40, Georgians don coats, thermal  underwear, gloves, wool hats. People in Minnesota throw on a flannel  shirt.
At 35, New  York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in Minnesota have the last  cookout before it gets cold.
At 20,  People in Miami all die. Minnesotans close their windows.
At 0,  Californians fly away to Mexico . People in Minnesota get out their winter  coats.
At 10  below zero, Hollywood disintegrates. The Girl Scouts in Minnesota are  selling cookies door to door.
At 20  below, Washington DC runs out of hot air. (Ya think? —Nah.). People in  Minnesota let their dogs sleep indoors.
At 30  below, Santa Claus abandons the North  Pole. Minnesotans get upset because they can’t start the snowmobile.
At 40 below, ALL atomic motion stops. People in Minnesota start  saying…”Cold enough for ya, eh?”
At 50  below, hell freezes over. Minnesota public schools will open 2 hours late

The Polish Golf Club Championship

Milo and Stosh are standing on the 18th tee at their Polish Country Club.
They are the final twosome in the Polish Country Club Championship
and are tied for the lead. The 18th hole is a beautiful par four with a deep
valley descending down to a dogleg right.

Both Milo and Stosh hit long, straight tee shots which disappear down into
the valley. A short time later, the fore caddie appears at the top of the
hill and announces that both balls are within 6 inches of each other, but
there’s a problem. Both of the golf balls are Titleist # 4s.

Milo and Stosh look at each other and realize that they had not informed
each other as to what kind of ball they were playing, nor its number.
They quickly descend into the valley and, sure enough, their two Titleist
golf balls are right next to each at the bottom of the valley in the middle
of the fairway.

Stosh looks at Milo and says, “We had better get a ruling from a tournament
official to straighten this out.” “This is the Polish Country Club
Championships and
we don’t want to be disqualified for making a mistake and hitting the wrong
ball.” “After all, we are tied for the lead.”

Soon after, a rules official appears and examines the two # 4 Titleist golf
balls. He then looks up at Milo and Stosh and says,

“Which one of you is playing the orange ball?

The Dreaded Phone Call….

My boss phoned me today.  He asked,  “Is everything OK at the office?”;

I said “It’s all under control.  It’s been very busy,  I haven’t stopped to take a break all day.”;

“Can you do me a favor” he asked.

I said “Of course, What is it?”;

“Pick up the pace a little.  I’m in the foursome behind you.”

I have never been satisfied with the email apps for the iPhone and iPad – that was until the newly updated Gmail app. With multiple account, up to 5, support, the ability to select multiple emails for the same action, access to your emails stored in categories and a clean interface there is a lot to like. The app also features time savers, and accuracy improvements, with auto complete for contact names, the ability to respond to Google calendar invites and you can send and receive attachments. And by the way, it’s free!

Just yesterday our golf club in Minnesota sent a communication to the membership and those using the native Apple email apps were unable to see an important part of the message – the link to the document. Those using PC’s and those of us with the Gmail email app on our Apple devices had no issues.  I have no idea what caused the problem but enough to know that there is a solution. Given that the app is free I recommend that you give it a try.

The Resurrection

A Baptist pastor was presenting a children’s sermon. During the sermon, he asked the children if they knew what the resurrection was. Now, asking questions during children’s sermons is crucial, but at the same time, asking children questions in front of a congregation can also be very dangerous. Having asked the children if they knew the meaning of the resurrection, a little boy raised his hand. The pastor called on him and the little boy said, “I know that if you have a resurrection that lasts more than four hours you are supposed to call the doctor.” It took over ten minutes for the congregation to settle down enough from their laughter for the worship service to be continued.