Geeklog Site

Fowler "Pappy" Boppy Stanton - story from a student

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:40:36 -0600

Today at Boppy's funeral, we met many people, some Donna, Sonata and the rest of the family knew, others were from life before our crew. We heard many stories. From Mindi Mercer via email to Donna, This story was never verbalized since his death, but quite special and easy to share with you.

Pappy, You Will Be Missed

It was a little band room on the outer edge of a small middle school in rural Jackson County Tennessee, furnished with old metal folding chairs and even older music stands, and filled with students from fifth grade through high school, all of whom it took to make a roster for the band an entire county shared. There weren't enough kids for the schools to each have their own. Still, when the new band director walked in, a little short and with full eyebrows, he seemed bigger than life in his tiny surroundings. His name? Fowler Stanton, but we all called him "Pappy".

We knew he'd been in the service, but it was his demeanor and passion for music that made it evident right away that his actual age belied the strength of heart and mind under that mop of silver hair. He didn't seem to notice or care that we were just a rag tag bunch of kids from the middle of nowhere that knew nothing about what an actual band should look or sound like. He never seemed to consider that our options or potential were as limited as our experiences or funding. He just assumed we could do what we set out to, and then so did we.

None of us knew what we were doing. We were mostly just looking for something else to do in a town with very few options, but he didn't care. He hauled us to band camp at nearby Tennessee Tech, his alma mater, anyway, and hauled our behinds out of bed at the most ungodly hours to march around the field and practice in various rooms around campus all week. There were more than a few grumbles on our parts and a little astonishment that the schedule that was wearing our young selves out didn't even seem to phase this man that was decades older than even our oldest members.

He wasn't one to take any nonsense, but he hardly ruled his band like his military background might imply. He was tough, but always fair, and he was interested in more than what we could do or be for the band itself. He wanted us carry the new found confidence and can do attitude he instilled into everything we did. Thankfully many of us did. He also didn't put much stock in traditions, at least ones that no longer needed to apply, and made his decisions based only on a persons ability alone instead of their circumstances.

A few months after he came, he decided we would reorganize the positions within the band. There I was, as a 5th grader one of the youngest in the band, and so pretty low on the totem pole. As I held my own trumpet I looked up the row to the boy who was first trumpet and a high school senior. Even knowing how Pappy was, I thought surely even he wouldn't elevate a lowly 5th grader to a position of authority, no matter how minor, over a senior in high school. He did though. Not only did he make me first trumpet, he made me leader of the brass section as well. He then proceeded to teach me the trombone, baritone, and french horn as well, and had me assist with beginning band even though my age would've placed me in that same category, regardless of ability, in most programs.

It may seem like a small thing, in a small place no one has heard of and most will likely never see, but it meant the world to me. From then on, I looked at every situation with a "Why not?" attitude that has opened so many doors in life. Every single day I use that "Who says I can't?" lesson I learned so many years ago to chase my dreams, dreams I may not have had without him giving me faith that I could do anything I set my mind to, regardless of my situation or the status quo.

Obviously, I adored Pappy. He was like a surrogate grandfather, and so his good opinion held great weight with me. I will never forget the day I thought I had lost it. A few of us had been at school after hours doing something for the band, and we got bored and did something silly. It wasn't horrendous, but it was irresponsible and immature, which is often the case with kids. As is also often the case with kids, we were clueless and were found out. He knew what we had done, but not who had done it. That afternoon, as he stood there in front of the entire group, letting us know that he knew and he was disappointed, I felt my stomach drop and then churn with that unbearable queasiness of guilt. I went home and cried myself to sleep that night, feeling just horrible. I had let him down after all he'd done and had violated the trust he had placed in me when no one else would've given me the chance to do half the things he knew I could do. I had to make things right.

The next day, I felt the dread of what I had to do all day long. The clock would alternate from flying and drawing me closer to the moment of truth, to moving like molasses and dragging out that awful feeling of not knowing. Likewise, my mind flipped from wanting to hurry up and get it over with to mentally trying to will time to slow down and put it off just a little longer. When the time finally came, band was over and everyone was gone from the band room. I walked up to Pappy, teary eyed and with a trembling lip, and muttered "It was me. I'm sorry." while half holding my breath for his response. Then he did something I found remarkable at the time.

He didn't yell, or grill me for the names of my cohorts, or even lecture me for letting him down. He said "It's okay. Thank you for telling me the truth." and patted my shoulder. He even smiled to let me know it would be alright. Looking back, I think he must've seen it on my face from the first that I was guilty. I think instead of forcing me to fess up then and there, he gave me a chance to do the right thing on my own. By doing that, he taught me a life lesson about stepping up and taking responsibility, and with his response, he taught me how to be gracious when someone else lets you down.

As you can see, while he might have been there to teach us to read music and to play the instrument of our choice, he taught us so much more. I'm ashamed to say I didn't stick with playing, and that after he moved on to another school that I only wrote him one letter of thanks while in high school. I wish there had been many more. I will always be thankful, however, that the life lessons stuck, as did the love of music in all forms that he helped nurture.

In short, I will always be grateful that he walked into that little room and into all of our lives. Now that he has moved on to a better place, I can only marvel at the man and the vast number of people who were better for knowing him in his eighty-eight years on this earth. I think it is safe to say that while we have lost an angel, heaven has most assuredly gained one.

Fowler Stanton, Amadeus and the Sea Monster

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:11:25 -0600

Last week on the evening of February 25, 2010, our family lost Fowler Stanton (Boppy.) He was Donna's stepdad and the man that raised her. He was always up to something crazy or poetic. The story below is one we found while going through his wishes.

A little background: Boppy was raised on a farm in Buffalo Valley, Tennessee. Most people know it as an exit to go fly fishing on the Caney. It was a bustling area back in the early 20th century. Boppy had many stories of good times, and mystery and intrigue. I remember him telling stories of singing and music, ghost stories, firefox, cream separators, the old barn! The story below is one he wrote about him and Amadeus' (aka Joe Dog) adventure

We'll all miss him very much. I look forward to all the stories at his "visitation" on March 5. There will be plenty of good ones.

Fowler G. Stanton
646 Lakeview Drive
Smithville, TN 37166

To The Editor:
Amadeus, my treasured Golden Retriever and faithful companion, and I recently took an autumn pilgrimage as we always do this time of the year down by the countryside of my heritage. Amadeus, being the superior canine that he is, is usually the “trail boss” and I just follow his lead. However on this journey I was a little concerned because of the route he had chosen. This happened to be the “ Valley of Trouble Winds”; a valley where few men have dared to trod. According to legend, those certain men never returned. So with some anxiety I followed Amadeus’ lead and strolled along with him. I rely on the fact that Amadeus’ resilience can take care of any thing that crosses our path.

I take pride in also knowing that my faithful pet and I have a wonderful ability to communicate. He barks in certain tones that lets me know when he is answering to the call of the wild or if he just feels like saying hello. He growls when there is danger, and has a quiet murmur when the moon is full and suspicion is in the air.

Upon entering this certain valley, we saw two trails, one was heavily trodden, and clean with deer tracks. The other was laden with lichens and moss. Amadeus being no fool, chose the clean track. We had not traveled far when Amadeus started to growl and ended with a murmur. I quickly inspected his direction and noticed a footprint. However this just wasn’t some foot of a deer or mountain lion, this was a huge human-like footprint! It was the size of a washtub! Up above and beyond we caught a quick glimpse of a figure about eight feet tall, with a wardrobe of long hair and beetle eyes. After a quiet conference with Amadeus, we elected to take the trail less traveled.

Soon we had reached the end of our joumey where there was a pond of mystery. This small indention of water had become quite infamous over the years, and it didn’t take me long to recognize where we were. We lingered a while since there was enough light to look into this dark lake of sorts to notice some fish were “belly-up”. Puzzled I leaned against an old beaver stump and studied the surface of the water. Soon the night creatures began declaring their thousand “knowledges”.

There was no light but that of the stars. Night had fallen. The corona borealis was near its zenith, and Venus was dominant in the south. Orion was riding the dark ridge behind me. Amadeus started making sounds and moans that were new to me. All of the sudden there was a BOOM!!! In the center of the lake, I first noticed small bubbles, then followed by an undescribable creature. It was about the size of a Volkswagen Bug! It curved at the neck which was about six feet long and had the head of a reptile!

At the first glimpse of Amadeus and me, it snorted a streak of tire and slowly started approaching us. I said to my inquisitive dog, “How in the he@! did that thing get HERE all the way from Scotland?!?”

So, with this gigantic creature on our trail, we cut our own path out of the valley. He was charging at us and up ahead stood the hairy giant waiting!! The hills on either side were so steep we didn’t make in time until the webbed feet monster had his knife and fork ready for dinner. I knew Amadeus could whoop them, so I wasn’t that scared. Before I knew it, my faithful companion grabbed the creature by the leg and “Big Foot” by another body part that apparently did the trick. With one unfailed swoop, the creatures yelped back into their posts with their “tails” between their legs, so to speak. I was yelling and running toward Amadeus to thank him and hug him for being such a hero.

Before I knew it, I was being shook and grabbed at. My eyes opened where my wife stood over me asking what in the world was going on. I immediately asked where was my favored dog, she said, “he is laying right beside the bed”. I asked Amadeus, “Did you have the same dream Ijust had?” he sat his head in my lap, looked up and moaned, “AAAAAAOOOOOOOOHHHHHHEEEEEE”.

Happy Halloween!
Fowler Stanton

Camera is Ready to Upgrade, Which One?

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:15:28 -0600

I guess readers can see that I've gotten pretty big into photography. It's another good way to combine my favorite sports and activities with yet another challenge. I've carried my DSLR across Iowa on my bike in my handlebar bag. I've hiked miles deep into Walls of Jericho with all my lenses and my full size tripod (what was I thinking on that one?) I have a waterproof case so I can take it canoeing or kayaking.

So many times, I've taken beautifully composed pictures on my adventures (like my Natchez Trace tour) only to return home and the pictures were crap. They turn out to be just a little off - sharpness, exposure, the flash might wash a scene out, etc. That's why I researched cameras and came up with my DSLR selection. Over time, my opinions have fine tuned on the gear I like. I love L-series Canon lenses for a variety of reasons. I'm kinda itching for a full body camera, but I'd have to be walking through the forest and some money would have to fall on me. Either way, point-and-shoot users can rest assured that any DSLR with interchangeable real glass lenses and large sensors will improve the quality of your photos 10-fold.

So which camera should I buy? That's a question I get frequently from my friends. Since I'm biased towards Canon, I'm going to limit my response to the question to Canon. That said, someone with an investment in Nikon has a choice to make.

Anyhow, you'll have to click Read More below to get the rest. So, a few things that people need to know before investing in a DSLR:

1. Yes, leave your camera on automatic and your pictures will be very good point-and-shoot pictures. Good light and still subjects will allow some amazing photos. Move into dark areas, moving subjects, shadows and light, bad light, and your pictures suddenly can get just as crappy as anything. Flash can still wash out pics, if you need the flash.
2. Interesting subject and good composition make good pictures.
3. Go off automatic and DSLR can become complicated, but the rewards can be worth it.
4. The best lenses can make bad pictures at the edges (wide open aperture, zoomed all the way in or out.) Vignetting, edge distortion, chromatic abberation, flare. Once you get basics of composition, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, learn to understand defects and how to prevent them or even use them to your advantage.
5. DSLR is bigger than point and shoot. But they no doubt take better photos.

I'm going to talk about Canon cameras from here on out, because that's what I'm familiar with. Nikon makes good cameras, and they're very popular. The brief time I spent reading about them revealed they have the same considerations. I'll let the reader sort it out if they want a Nikon.

I'm going to skip some basics on focal length, aperture, shutter speed. Those are basic camera functions that are the same across any camera, brand, film or digital.

So, the camera.
Sensor
On any kind of camera, light passes through a lens and aperture to strike a photo-sensitive media. On a film camera, it's film. Higher ISO film means it's more sensitive to light. On a digital camera, light strikes a sensor. The sensor in a DSLR, or any digital camera, is an array of photo sensitive electronic points, each sensitive to a certain color, that picks up the level of colored light that hits it. The camera's computer processes the data from each of these points and converts it into a JPG or other format, or stores the image just as plain data, Canon in RAW format. The closer each of these sensors are to each other, the more electrical noise they generate, and tend to distort the points next to each other. The higher the ISO, the more noise the sensor generates. You can see this on photos in the dark, especially point-and-shoot with no flash. DSLR cameras have minimal noise except at very high ISO.

Basically two different sensors are available: Full body sensor is 24x36mm (1.41 inches wide.) A crop-body sensor is 15x22.5mm (.89 inches wide.) If you have a full body and crop body sensor, both at the same pixel density (say 15 Megapixels) the larger sensor will have less noise, because each point on the sensor is microscopically farther apart from the one next to it. The full body sensor generally has a higher ISO setting because of this.
Full body cameras definitely have an advantage for image quality, low noise, high ISO. But before deciding to go with a full body, remember that they're much more expensive and they require special lenses - the compromise.

Measured in Megapixels, resolution is an important factor in selecting a digital camera. Resolution is the number of individual pixels on the sensor total. Here's the deal: most people like to enlarge their photos. The bigger you make it, the more apparent each pixel becomes. It's like zooming in on a photo on your computer - you'll eventually start seeing the individual pixels. So, the higher resolution DSLR camera has a big advantage when enlarging or trying to capture detail. You might not want to enlarge, but you certainly will want to crop. The more you crop, a simple 4x6 photo can become grainy - the pixels can become more identifiable to even a casual observer. So, the higher resolution wins again when cropping or enlarging a photo. Higher resolution sensors with equal or lower ISO noise means more money - the compromise.
Don't let point-and-shoot resolutions fool you. Most PaS cameras have very small sensors and create a tremendous amount of ISO noise. And their lenses really suck. Compromises.

Several Summary Points to remember for Bodies:
1. Full bodies take better images, typically have advanced features, lower noise, but more expensive.
2. Full body cameras are limited to EF series lenses, also more expensive.
3. With DSLR, higher resolution is almost always better.

So, the lenses.
Canon EF versus EF-S mount Lenses. All Canon lenses are designated EF or EF-S. This can be a simple problem to solve for the beginner DSLR user. But it becomes more complicated if you get serious. I'll try to explain. A full body camera users EF lenses ONLY. It has to do with the geometry of the larger physical sensor, but you can't use a EF-S lens on a full sensor body. A 100mm lens is truly 100mm for a EF lens on a full sensor body.
Crop body cameras can use EF or EF-S. But, remember that a 1.6x crop makes a 100mm lens equivalent to a 160mm lens. If you collect a stock of EF-S lenses and upgrade to a full body camera some day, your entire stock is now obsolete.
Most EF lenses are higher quality than EF-S. All L-glass professional series lenses are EF. EF lenses are generally expensive. But, there are always exceptions. The popular Canon EF 50mm f1.8 "portrait lens" is $100. The very good EF-S Canon 17-55mm f2.8 is around $1000. I wanted the 17-55mm once, but I couldn't stomach the investment, considering it would be obsolete if I upgrade my body.
Why are EF lenses better quality? Most lenses are strong in the center of the photo, and the edges suffer from fisheye distortion, vignetting, etc. Since a crop-body crops the outer edge of the image, they get more of the sweet spot in the captured image. A full body lens has to be sweet all the way to the edge. Put an excellent EF lens on a crop body, and the only thing to complain about is your own skill.
EF lenses on full bodies are better for wide angle. A 20mm lens on an full body is 20mm. A 20mm on a crop body is equivalent to 32mm. Advantage full body, EF.
EF-S lenses on crop bodies are great for zoom. A 200mm crop-body lens is equivalent to a 320mm lens on a full body. Advantage crop body with EF or EF-S lenses.
Image stabilization (IS) is a feature that measures whether the camera is moving while the shutter is open, and compensates for slight movement. Shooting in bright light and 1/100-plus shutter speeds, it doesn't make that much difference IMHO.
Ultrasonic Motor focus (USM) is a special focusing system that makes auto-focus VERY fast. Not all my lenses are USM, and I couldn't focus well when I was taking pictures of the neighbor's greyhound running in the backyard. Better lenses have USM.

Several Summary points to remember about lenses:
1. Buy the best lenses you can afford.
2. Buy EF lenses if you are serious about photography.
3. Every lens is a compromise: wide range is usually lower quality. Fixed length (prime lens) is high quality but less versatile.

So what do I have?
I'll start with what I have, and make some recommendations based on what I've learned.

Body
In January 2009, I bit the bullet and purchased a Canon XSi. It's 12.2 Megapixels, max 1600 ISO, crop-body. It has all the functions you'd expect out of an advanced amateur camera. To name a few I use, shutter lock for long exposure photos, exposure bracketing, flash compensation, live view, histogram view, RAW shooting, custom white balance, and a pile of image processing onboard for JPG storage. It also uses SDHC memory, which I already used on my point-and-shoot. It doesn't do video without a firmware hack. Don't get hung up on this stuff. You'll learn this stuff later if you want to.

I recommend the Canon XSi if you're on a budget. For a more, you can get the Canon T1i, which shoots 15.1 Megapixels and 1080p video. By default, it shoots 3200 ISO for candle light shooting. It's still a crop-body camera but it's good.

For less limited funds, go for the full body camera. Canon 5D or the 1DS bodies are next-step cameras that remove ALL excuses. You can see the comparison in the link to the T1i review above. But, you have to buy EF lenses.

Lenses:
So what do I have?
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens - a decent starter walk-around lens that came with a XSi kit. This lens does have corner distortion at maximum aperture and zoom settings. The widest aperture setting isn't that great. It does have image stabilization, but I'm not sure if it does me any good. It has no USM. Since I've upgraded, I'd love to get rid of this lens. They go for about $75 used. If they weren't such a good deal in the kit, I'd recommend skipping this lens.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens - this is another lens I got as a kit. It shoots well in bright light or at 55mm. It has image stabilization and it probably helps more than I think at zooms. Again, on a crop, I'm getting equivalent of 400mm of zoom, which is a lot. It's not good zoom, it's just zoom. It comes in handy for shooting blue heron, pelicans, sports.

Recommendation: for telephoto, spend the money on the very popular 70-200mm f/4.0 IS USM ($1200) or the less expensive 70-200mm f/4.0 USM ($650.) It's a better lens, and not that expensive. Most telephoto I shoot is in good light too, so the IS IMHO may not be worth the extra budget. There's the stunning f/2.8 version too, but it's $1800.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens - this is a must-have lens for portraits and low light. It's about 85mm after crop factor, which is supposedly about what the human eye sees. f/1.8 is a huge aperture, which makes for flash-less photos in almost any indoor light. Focus is super-sharp, and distortion is low. It's small and lightweight so it's easy to carry. Everyone with a Canon camera should have this lens for about $100.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L Lens - if we had kids, I would have had to turn over my first born to buy this lens ($700.) I started looking for a wide angle lens, but I convinced myself that I needed to upgrade my walk-around lens before I got into specialty. This lens is super-sharp, super-low distortion. It has great contrast. f/4.0 makes it a not-so-good lens without shooting flash. It's expensive, but this and the 50mm (and Lensbaby) will be the only lenses I keep if I upgrade to a full body. If I weren't ever planning to upgrade to full body, I might have considered the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. It's also more expensive but the f/2.8 is very desireable.

Lensbaby 2.0 - a Lensbaby lens is an experimental lens. It focuses by manually manipulating an accordion style lens housing. It allows you to move a "sweet" focused spot around the composition by flexing the lens. You can think about this some day, but I just mention it because I have one.

Recommendation: one should consider a Canon 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 or a Sigma/Tokina equivalent. These generally produce crappy images at the edges (wide open, or zoomed in), reviews are generally crappy, but the versatility and convenience just might be worth it for $350. They are also compact and lightweight. You might get an opportunity shot you would miss if you only had a telephoto or wide angle mounted. I bought a Tokina off craigslist for $60 and carried it across Iowa on my bike. It broke on Day 1, and it's actually in the mail to Tokina for a $100 repair. Bargain, huh? However, it's compact, versatile and cheap (no big loss if it gets rained on, dropped or stolen) so it'll go with me again.

In Summary:

Here's what I'd buy:

Item	Spec	Cost
Camera Body	Canon EOS Rebel T1i (500D) Digital SLR Kit w/EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens	< $800
option 2	Canon T1i Body only	$650
option 2	buy body only, add a Canon 17-85mm for walk-around. More versatile, better lens	$450
Memory Card	SDHC - 8 Gigabytes (with reader)	<$30
Should Buy	Canon 50mm F/1.8 II	< $100
Optional Lens	Canon 28-200mm	< $350
or	Tamron 18-200mm	<$300
Zoom Lens	Canon 70-200mm F/4L USM	<$650
Camera Bag	Variety of bags available	$65-$80
Good Tripod	Manfrotto legs and ball head	$300

More tips:
Post-processing can create better photos, but do your best to get a great pictures through the glass. You can't sharpen out of focus pictures. You can add contrast or saturation to a photo on a cloudy day. After over a year with a DSLR, I try to use post processing for cropping. I had some good success with my cloudy day Georgiana pictures by increasing contrast. Otherwise, pictures can begin to look fake. (as you get better, on Canon, try RAW mode, and learn the histogram while shooting and in post.)

365 Flickr Project

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:11:29 -0600

I don't know if many folks have heard of a 365 project. You essentially take one photo per day and post it to a set on Flickr. The basic rule is you have to post a picture from that day, which means you have to take a picture every day. Some folks say you're supposed to be in every one of them. I'm not following that rule in mine. I kind of use it as a photo diary.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23855991@N05/sets/72157623115200318/

The hard part is when you have a long day at work. It gets old taking pictures of things at work. Then after dark, it gets tougher to take a photo. Thank goodness for my Droid. I can take an impromptu photo with no special equipment.

So far it's been kind of interesting. I spend "down time" like driving, scanning for a future photo opportunity. See something interesting in a restaurant? Grocery store?

It's easy to spend too much time taking pictures of things I'm eating, or the dogs or cats. Maybe I'll take pictures of the dogs and cats eating?

I think everyone should give this a try. It's kinda fun and it gets you out of the house.

Motorola Droid Review

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:10:28 -0600

As a Verizon customer for years, I was a little reluctant to switch to AT&T just for an iPhone. I mean really - your smart phone has to first work properly as a phone, and I know from observation that the Verizon network is better almost everywhere. I'm a little miffed about the rumor mill, suggesting that the iPhone will come to Verizon. I doubt that will ever happen. So, finally a contender arrived - the Motorola Droid. I upgraded my 4-year old Motorola Razr, got the data service, and I'm now sorry I waited! So here's my review so far. Package/Keyboard
OK, I'm no smart phone expert. I'm going to make some casual observations. The Droid is a little heavy probably because of the physical keyboard, which happens to be a worthless piece of crap. Ever so rarely do I use the keyboard. The smooth keyboard surface is near useless for big hands. The little mouse thingie is the only good thing - allows for fine positioning of the cursor for corrections, etc. I think one of those trackball things like the Blackberry would be beneficial. The touch screen keyboard with auto-fill is by far fastest for input, particularly in landscape mode. Yes, it auto-rotates.
Next, the battery cover is a super cool feature but it's also a pain in the neck. Yes, it's easy to replace the batteries, especially if you're out on a multi-day bike ride and away from power for a while. But, the battery cover slides off very easily from the factory. I fixed it by putting two layers of masking tape on the outward facing side of the battery, creating a small amount of pressure on the cover. I haven't had it slide off since I made this "modification". I don't know how safe it is or whether a little tape might cause the battery to catch on fire or whatever. Mine hasn't yet.
The Droid has a series of home keys across one end. The back key is on the bottom left corner, menu key next, Home key third, and Search on the bottom right corner. Just trying to hold the thing, I sometimes accidentally press the Search button. This is a little annoying, but I'm not sure if that's common on all smart phones?
Tip for Newbies: Hold the Home button to pull up the apps that are running. Android is a multitasking operating system (more on this later, very cool)
Another Tip: Experiment with holding anything anywhere on the Droid - buttons, maps, etc. Many apps support long hold on objects to launch menus, options, etc.

Documentation
When I was writing the tips above, I wanted to mention that the documentation either sucks or I don't know how to access it properly. There's an enormous PDF online on Motorola's website, but why didn't they put it on the stinking Droid? A short tutorial would be nice. Since the Youtube viewer is native, a nice video would be good. Again, it's so common sense, maybe I don't know how to get to it.

As a Phone
Coming straight from a plain phone to a smart phone, I'm having a real struggle. If you're searching for a restaurant and there's a phone number on the screen, BAM! Long hold the number and the phone dials it for you. If you simply want to pick the phone up and dial, you have to turn it on, get to home screen, click the phone app, then touch screen dial. It's a lot of steps.
Tip: Copy the phone app shortcut to all three home screens.

As a Camera
Three words: the camera sucks (right now.) Yes, it's 5 Megapixels, it has an LED flash and you get all kinds of storage and sharing options, but it only focuses in very bright light, and it's slow and confused most of the time. The white balance is seriously lacking or non-existent. I really believe it's a software problem, and I hope the rumored December 11 software release will fix it. I'm embarassed to share any of my pictures right now. I could just say screw it because I have a bunch of different picture taking gadgets. But the convenience of always having a phone and your computer in your pocket is an exciting feature that makes me want this fixed.

As a Browser
Again, this is my first smart phone. The tiny screen, though VERY clear and sharp, is still a handicapped version of a real computer. Double-tapping the browser screen zooms in quickly, and dragging around to view the entire screen is pretty easy.
Many websites detect a mobile device and will give you a different view. Webmasters, this is a really good idea. I don't think my version of Geeklog has one, but I haven't looked very hard. Ones that come to mind are Flickr, CitySearch, Harpeth Bike Club (that webmaster is awesome! ;), Google, CNN, NYTimes, etc. Most sites have a m.domain.com format if it's mobile-aware.
One thing that's annoying - no Flash viewer (Adobe has promised an Android Flash viewer in 2010.) So many websites, including the Verizon Droid promotional page, are delivered with Flash.

For Social Networking
The Droid comes native with a plethora of social networking capabilities, including Facebook and Google Apps. Other apps for Twitter, Myspace, etc. are easily available in the Market. When you first set the phone up, you put in your user ID and password for Gmail and Facebook. The phone automatically extracts everything it can about your friends and contacts and merges them into your phone contacts. In my case, I've been using gmail for years, and I have a pretty huge list of contacts. It swamped my contacts with people I barely know, and the list is a little bit unmanageable. I haven't figured out how to use grouping on the Contacts app on the Droid yet. I probably need to do that.
The Facebook app IMHO is barely functional. You can't tag photos. It basically redirects you to the browser for any updating to the m.facebook.com page.
Some apps worth adding:
Twidroid - an excellent and free app for Twittering. (I'm not a big tweeter - I personally think it's of limited use, but I may also be getting old.)
HandCent - I highly recommend using this as your SMS app. Way way way better than native. You can see an entire conversation with it. Very cool.

Tip: Use the star to mark contacts as favorites. They'll show up on a "short list" for you.
Tip: you can import contacts as a CSV (comma separtated values) into your Gmail contacts. Your Droid will pick them up automatically.
Tip: While editing a contact, hit the menu button and use "Join" to merge duplicate contacts. It takes a while to clean up duplicates, but it's worth it.

For Mapping and Navigating
Navigation - this is one thing that makes my iPhone friends jealous. Touch and hold an address in the browser, the Droid figures out that you might want to go there. Then, Droid offers turn by turn directions, announcing the street name, "follow signs to Chattanooga". You can also click a streets view button if it's available for the turn, and Droid will show you what the next turn or destination looks like. Very cool. And it's all included for FREE.

Is it as good as a dedicated Garmin? No. There's no hot button to go home. The menus are a little clunkier than a dedicated device. The screen isn't as big - do you carry your Garmin Nuvi around in your pocket? But, the Droid doesn't charge for map updates. But, the Garmin still works if there's no data service. The Droid is still an excellent navigator.

What navigation needs to be great, IMHO:

A hot button to immediately start navigation to get you home.
Favorite places pulled into the Navigation app.
Navigation app should be a "primary" app. It launches from within Google Maps, which kinda stinks.

Other apps worth mentioning in the mapping category:

Glympse: Share your position temporarily with someone, either through email or Facebook or whatever. People can track you temporarily using satellite view. Making a long trip to visit someone? Send them a link and they can see when you'll arrive.
Have2P: Find a public bathroom. It needs some help from the community, but it's a cool idea. How many times have you been in a strange place and couldn't find a public bathroom? French Quarter in N.O.?
PhotSpot: this app picks up your position and displays buttons that lead to pictures of things near you. It's great to see pics of things "I have to go see that!" Kind of like Panoramio I guess, but mobile.
I'm playing with Bread Crumbz and Approaching. Bread Crumbz allows you to build directions for friends using GPS position and pictures your camera. Approaching is supposed to announce things you like (like favorite restaurant chains) if you're heading towards them.

For Biking and Running
OK, I'm gonna steal from the mapping and multimedia section for this.

RUNNING: this is where I really LOVE my smart phone. Running is a horrible activity. The only thing good about it is the runner's high you get when you're "in the zone." Otherwise, your eyeballs are bouncing around, you listen to your feet hitting the pavement, your gasping for air. A little music is a pleasant distraction and preserves your will to live. With MP3 players, it's getting to hear the same old stuff over and over again, or the drudgery of building play lists. Introducing Pandora. Pick a song or artist to build a "channel" and it starts suggesting songs. Choose thumbs up or thumbs down and it learns what you like. If you like to listen to "Eye of the Tiger" while you run, build a channel with it as your base. I like 80's and 90's dance/club music when I run.

Since the Droid is a multitasking OS, I use a workout tracking application called CardioTrainer. You pick whether you're indoors or outdoors, and then your activity. Start it and it announces your pace and distance. And it overrides my Pandora music channel to do so. Results are accumulated on the home website, and security coded so only you can see them. My Pandora channel was playing some 80's euro band and the British CardioTrainer announcer came on and I suddenly felt like I was in another country!

BICYCLING: I haven't found a good bike mount yet, so I haven't tested it. But there is at least one dedicated bike computer app called Velox. I'm more planning to use CardioTrainer (activity chosen as bicycling) once I get a good way to carry it.
NEVER listen to music with headphones while riding your bike. You need all your senses to ride safely. If you're riding on the greenway, you can't hear someone announcing they're passing, which creates unsafe conditions. Just don't do it.
No MapMyRide support, yet. I'm really not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

Carrying the Droid while running is a challenge. I use a fanny pack, but I'd rather have some kind of belt. For bicycling, I did find a holster that fits on my Chrome bag shoulder strap. Chrome needs to come up with some well-integrated waterproof smart phone holsters, or someone could start a third-party company to make some.

For Multimedia
I don't think MP3 player is Droid's strong suit necessarily. Apple started with an MP3 player and added a phone and computer. Android starts with a computer and added a phone and MP3 player. I think we'll find that the Android will be a better computer, and Apple will always be a better multimedia platform. Sound familiar? PC versus Mac?

Shazam - yes, it's available for Android. Turn it on and it figures out what you're listening to. If you want to buy it, Shazam gives you several links to find it. I just tag music, then get it through TuneWiki or Pandora later for free.
Pandora - I already mentioned this earlier in the running section.
TuneWiki - put in a song, it plays it, and gives you the lyrics so you can sing along. Lots of fun.
Pix - you can stream LIVE video to the Pix website. Then it saves it. Very impressive, and works remarkably well on the 3G network.
Youtube - yes, it has a good Youtube client. Videos come up full screen. Touching the screen pulls up the play, pause controls, just as you'd expect it to behave.

Discovered Uses / Paid Apps
When browsing the market, I've discovered a few uses for the Droid that I wasn't expecting.

ShopSavvy - scan a product barcode using the camera (after it finally focuses) and it gives you prices and places to buy it locally and on the web. It's a little embarassing doing it in front of a salesman! Free app.
SnapTell - like Shazam, but through pictures. Use it to snap a picture of the front cover of a book or CD, it figures out what it is and what to pay for it. Very cool and free.
Bump - start the app, hold your phone in your fist, and your new friend does the same. Bump fists and it magically transfers contact info between the two. I assume it detects the fist bump with the accelerometer, shares some info using bluetooth, then it sends back and forth through a web service? I don't know exactly, but it's very cool! Goodbye business cards. I've tested it between my Droid and an iPhone. Free.
ToMarket - my first paid app. It's a fancy shopping list. You build a list of things you regularly buy. Pick the things you need and it builds a shopping list. Check them off at the store. You can text others your shopping list. Keeps me organized.
Documents To Go - my second paid app. View and edit real Word, Excel, PPT and view PDF's. I haven't done anything useful with it yet, but I expect it will be very handy very soon.
CraigsPhone - Craigslist browser. Works quite well. Free.
Others worth mentioning: Where (kinda like CitySearch), OpenTable (restaurant reservations), PktAuctions (Ebay)

Corporate Email / Calendar
OK, I have a problem here. The native Exchange client supports ActiveSync, but it doesn't support the full standard. My work requires remote wipe and pin lock so a third party client is needed. (Apparently the iPhone native Exchange client works perfectly. Boo...) Third party apps - I've tried both of these paid apps with varying degrees of success:

Touchdown - Email client worked, but I couldn't get the calendar to connect properly. My boss's boss's boss's boss had someone from the email group help him get it working. I haven't been able to get anyone to give me the settings.
Roadsync - Both email and client work. I'm still in the trial period, but I expect to buy it since it sort of works. I don't like the way work contacts integrate. I don't like that I can't forward meeting requests. It's really barely functional. Peers with iPhones at work report similar functionality limitations. I'm sure it will improve in the future.

Your work email might not be as stringent, so don't write this off if you're evaluating.

Docking the Droid
So far, I have the bedside dock which turns the Droid into an alarm clock / weather station, switched on by magnets in the dock that operate reed switches. It's very handy. However, it doesn't have any way to attach speakers, RCA Out, HDMI, etc. That's too bad. I guess there might be a Bluetooth-to-RCA box out there somewhere? Anyhow, I believe the bedside dock is a must-have.

I've been reading about the car dock. Turns Droid into a car computer using the magnet technique. I have a Garmin Nuvi 205W with the bean bag mount thing. I haven't proven it, but apparently the Droid uses the same ball mount, same size, as the Garmin. I'll be trying it and I'll update on this topic at a later date. I don't think the iPhone has a feature like this, so the Droid wins in this category.

Unfortunately, you can't go to virtually any electronics store and buy accessories for the Droid like you can an iPhone. Since the Droid is slightly bigger than the iPhone, it doesn't fit very well in most belt cases, etc. iPhone wins in the "available accessories" category.

What Up With That?

Why doesn't Google release Google Earth for Android? It's available for iPhone. We have Google Sky, but that's nothing more than a toy IMHO.
iPhone App Store and Android Market application count is a farse. In both, a set of wallpaper can count as an app. Some piece of scripting code that only means something to a programmer counts. There are at least 100 restaurant tip calculators, and dozens of other stupid apps. Three years of iPhone wallpapers probably adds up to 90,000 of the 100,000 apps.
I wouldn't suggest this phone to people that don't understand computers to begin with. It's not super-easy to take full advantage of what it can really do.
MyVerizon app sort of sucks. It's really not a very clean mobile app. It pushes you to the browser, and a weak mobile-enabled website. BTW - as of late November, having my Droid less than a month, I'm up to almost 600MB of data transfer. Thank goodness data plan is unlimited.)

In Summary
Don't switch to AT&T just for the iPhone. The Droid is pretty dang good, and Verizon's network is outstanding. For that matter, anything with Android 2.0 is pretty dang good.

And don't believe any rumors that AT&T is rapidly expanding their wireless network. That rumor is about like Verizon is going to get the iPhone. It's probably not gonna happen, rumor only designed to keep customers from switching. Maybe someone has some hard proof?

The Letter I Never Sent

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:45:39 -0500

Dear survivors of David Allison, I owe you a sincere apology. I rode the NTP with my buddy Steve in September of 2009. The terrible experience I had around Jackson and Tupelo with high speed motor vehicle traffic inspired me to write a letter to the park service that they needed to correct it. I never sent it and I feel terrible. If I had, and followed up on it, maybe David would still be alive. Here is the letter:

Dear Sirs,

I recently completed a self-supported bicycle tour of the entire length of the Natchez Trace Parkway - September 20 - 27. There are so many to enjoy this resource - historical and natural wonders are abound. The bicycle camping facilities are well placed, clean and were just what we needed. I did come away with so many wonderful memories, but I have a few negative experiences bicycling that I feel I need to share, and others have also expressed. My only intent is to increase safety for bicyclists, and possibly increase the usage doing so.

First and foremost, the areas around Jackson and Tupelo MS are extremely heavily used by commuters and cross-town short-cutters. It doesn't seem that commuting and short-cutting is the intended purpose of the Natchez Trace Parkway, but I understand people will continue to use it. Fifty miles per hour is too fast and unsafe for cyclists with no shoulder. I propose reducing the speed limit to at most 40 miles per hour in these areas. The alternative is to provide a safe shoulder for cyclists to travel the NTP in these areas.

Second, I understand that construction vehicles should be allowed on the NTP to reduce construction costs, including the paving projects around Tupelo. But, they should abide by special regulations, such as 10mph below the posted NTP speed limit, and slower around cyclists. We were nearly run off the road several times by dump trucks.

Third, riding south to north for seven days, we saw a total of three park rangers. Our first was at mile post 187. The officer was extremely courteous. The other two were in Tennessee. More officers are needed, particularly around Tupelo and Jackson to slow commuters down.

Finally, I propose that a law be enforced on the NTP requring motor vehicles to give a minimum of three feet when passing bicycles. Mississippi and Alabama have no such law, but Tennessee enacted the Jeff Roth and Brian Brown Bicycle Protection Act of 2007 to require this. You can find more about that law at www.tennessee3feet.org.

Thank you so much for considering these suggestions.

Sincerely,
Pat Clements

David Allison was killed on the Natchez Trace Parkway while touring it by bicycle on October 9. The Park Service press release stated that it appears the bicyclist swerved out in front of the car. In advocacy circles, they call this the Single Witness Suicide Swerve. More or less, this careless driver negligently ran over and killed David and there were probably no witnesses to what really happened other than the driver's testimony at the scene.

After hunting information about the death, I also stumbled across an incident in April where a bicyclist from Netherlands was run over and killed. I have no idea the outcome of that investigation.

To redeem my lack of follow-through, I can assure you that I will do everything I can to save lives other cyclists on roadways where I can have an influence. And I intend to push the NTP management to correct the situation of unsafe drivers on their roadway. I am truly sorry and I carry this guilt forward in my mission.

What can you do when someone is killed like this? INSIST that the accident is thoroughly investigated. That means the driver's speed should be estimated by length of skid marks. The driver's cell phone records should be subpoena'ed and reviewed for activity during the time of the accident. You should question whether drug and alcohol tests were performed. District Attorneys and law enforcement many times believe bicyclists should not be on the road. At least by Tennessee and Mississippi law, bicyclists by law are valid users of the roadway. DA's and police have an obligation to protect us. They MUST do their job. And if they don't know how to do their job, they must be informed.

Finally, the National Park Service, which encourages bicyclists by providing special facilities and marketing materials for bicyclists, need to correct the safety problems they have around Jackson and Tupelo. We can't afford another death on the NTP. We're already bankrupt from the ones in 2009.

I'm still very sad and full of regret for not sending my letter.

Heels on Wheels Nashville

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:12:45 -0500

Hope you find this interesting.

October 12, 2009

For immediate release

Long-time Nashvillian and Tennessee native Sonata Stanton-Rayburn is proud to announce the opening of The Heels on Wheels, a personal shopping and courier service that covers everything from stocking groceries and household items to planning Baby's nursery to assisting in holiday shopping and gift selections.

Prior to starting Heels On Wheels, Rayburn worked in the music business at Progressive Global Agency, the Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association and most recently in economic development for the state of Tennessee.

In her former positions, Rayburn has been most drawn to the parts of the job that required organizational and people skills. "When I asked myself what it is I most enjoyed day in and day out, it always came back to taking care of people," Rayburn says. "I've always been able to put employers, clients and consultants at ease with five simple words 'I'll take care of it' and that was the most gratifying."

"Sonata defines the word multi-tasking," says former employer Scott Clayton of CAA. From maintaining databases, writing up contracts and most importantly keeping positive artist relations she did that and so much more every day with professionalism and a smile."

"Sonata is a joy to work with," says former co-worker Stacey Briggs, President and Executive Director of Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association. "She has the passion and creativity to solve any problem no matter how big or small."

Heels On Wheels will launch with an introductory party at Cabana Restaurant on Wednesday Oct 21 from 5:00pm-7:30pm. All are welcome.

Heels On Wheels is reliable, insured and bonded. For more information:

Sonata Stanton-Rayburn
Heels On Wheels, LLC
615-585-6643

Sonata@HOWNashville.com
www.theheelsonwheels.com

Riding Smithville to Silver Point - great ride ALMOST!

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:02:20 -0500

Spent the weekend in Smithville celebrating Duke's birthday. As many times as I've been to Smithville, I've always wanted to ride from town out to Silver Point and back via SR56. So, I did it this weekend and I don't know why I haven't ridden it yet!
TN SR56 zig zags north-south through Tennessee. The section I rode is from Smithville to Silver Point, which is a exit on I40, BLOS is probably a C, wide shoulders, very curvy, 55mph speed limit, moderate traffic. The road is pretty much flat from Smithville to the descent to Hurricane Bridge then a long ascent to small up-and-down. About 16 miles one way to Silver Point, there's a picnic table by the Rose Garden Meat-n-three for a rest stop. Only complaint is the driveways crossing the shoulder on 56 are humped, so each driveway has a bump to cross. No rumble strips yet.
What a great ride, almost! As the sun was setting, I turned around, completed the very fast descent back towards Hurricane Bridge. My bike computer was removed, but I looked over and a passenger in a car waved at me, not passing me! When I reached the bottom of the descent, I stopped on the bridge and enjoyed the view. You really can't do this in a car. It might even be illegal. I realized again that being out on my bike and experiencing something like this is really what makes me happy. But the ride wasn't perfect...
After ascending teh 2.5 mile gradual climb from Hurricane Bridge, I continued on with little incident. I was cruising along, about to reach Smithville, taking the middle of a very wide shoulder, a SUV swerved, crossing over the white line into the shoulder and blew its horn, barely missing me. Of course the driver was harrassing me, but he didn't realize that he had put me in serious danger. I thought I saw where he had turned off. I made a few passes up and down some roads but luckily I never found him. With this kind of behavior, we have some advocacy work to do around Smithville.
Anyhow, it was a great ride regardless of the a$$hole, and I hope more folks will give it a shot as a simple but challenging ride while visiting the area. Donna and I left Smithville by car this morning and scouted some backroads southwest of Smithville, which should make for a beautiful loop with Snows Hill mixed in. I'll give it a shot and post a report next time I'm over there.

Disappointment Over Tennessee Safe Passing

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:50:05 -0500

This morning, someone posted a link to the HBC list. It's more or less an article, written by police officer Alex Teach, making a joke out of David Meek, a prominent bicyclist in Chattanooga who was run down by a truck. What a horrible thing - a police officer, sworn to protect and serve, with an attitude of neglect towards one class of road users - the bicycle driver. I always wondered why the police never wrote a ticket. I wondered why the Grand Jury failed to press charges against the driver, but later found out it was because of testimony from the investigating officer. I was confused why the justice system failed David until I read.

More recently, in Greeneville, TN, Jay Westbrook and a friend were riding along on a shoulder on the outside of a curve, and a Comcast truck swerved towards them, the passenger mirror hitting Jay, resulting in a helicopter ride to a trauma unit, a long stay in the hospital, and at least 8 weeks laying on his back in bed recovering. No ticket was issued.

Upon reflecting on David Meek and Jay Westbrook accidents, then factoring in Officer Teach's piece of work, and the consistent failure for our law enforcement and justice system to find fault, I realize the following: the Jeff Roth and Brian Brown Bicycle Protection Act of 2007 is either unenforceable, or police officers are untrained or apathetic towards protecting bicycle drivers.

Shannon Hornsby and I, shortly after the law was passed and went into effect, developed the tennessee3feet.org website, posters and campaign to educate bicycle and motor vehicle drivers of the law. Sharp Emmons developed the logo. Ivan Kansky developed the poster and background for the site. We were so happy that we finally had a law that protected bicyclists. But we understood that it would probably only be part of a incident where a bicycle driver was swiped by a motor vehicle. Man were we wrong. And I sit disappointed.

I call to have the safe passing law revoked and for bicycle drivers to be treated like motor vehicle drivers.
I call Tennesseeans to educate and become educated, that bicycle drivers are allowed and belong on the road.
I call for motor vehicle drivers to expect bicycle traffic.
I call for survivors of those killed, or those who survived their encounter with a motor vehicle while driving their bicycles to seek justice, either through criminal law or through civil law.
I call for bicycle drivers to ride defensively and courteously.
I call for bicycle drivers to continue to ride on roads that they're legally allowed to ride on.
I call for police officers and local governments to enforce laws equally between bicycles and motor vehicles.
I call for Tennessee to declare in law that bicycles are valid users of the roadway and should be treated as such.

I call for Alex Teach to be assigned to Chattanooga Bike Patrol, or teach bicycle safety and law for the remainder of his career.

More information that should be of interest if you've made it this far. Alex Teach's response after realizing that his job as a police officer is in jeopardy. He doesn't seem to want to learn the error in his ways.

John Baker, a contributor to NTMBA, shared this letter with me after writing a letter about the failure of the justice system to respond to the Jay Westbrook incident:
www.bakerjw.org/GHSO_Page1_L.jpg
www.bakerjw.org/GHSO_Page2_L.jpg

Finally, on August 8, a group of concerned bicyclists (including myself) from across the state is convening in Nashville to form a statewide advocacy organization for walking and biking. This will hopefully be a catalyst to bring positive change in the environment we're currently dealing with. www.bikewalktn.org I'm sure we'll be talking to Kendell Poole and Mike Browning from TDOS about his suggestions to John Baker.

PS - I hope you didn't stumble upon my website after I was run over by a motor vehicle driver while I was legally driving my bicycle.

Safe Bike Route for HWEN to Green Hills Mall Area

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:27:00 -0500

I had a discussion with a non-bicycling friend several weeks ago about bicycling, Nashville bike facilities, and the feasibility of bicycling for something other than exercise. She was adamant that bicycles are impractical, stopping short of "bicycles shouldn't be on the road." And there are plenty of greenways and bike lanes that bicyclists should stick to, and stay off her roads. Interestingly, her husband, a former bicyclist, seemed to agree with her. At first I was furious. Then it dawned on me that this is the attitude that bicycling advocates have to overcome, and Tennesseans have to overcome to bring the state out of the bottom of every state rankings list. Anyhow, so I'm going to work on a series of ways Nashvillians can get from place to place, at least around the Hillsboro West End area as either a start or a finish area.

It's a shame to have a high population density in the area, and to have a road like Hillsboro Road that is so bicycle and pedestrian challenged. At the time of this writing, the road is under construction to be repaved and restriped to include a turn lane down the middle. The project is not including any bike/ped facilities whatsoever.

The graphic below shows a way to get safely from 23rd and Woodmont to the Green Hills Mall area, avoiding Hillsboro Road entirely.
Take Woodmont (with bike lanes from Harding Rd to Woodmont) east towards Hillsboro Road.
Just before the light, take a right into the church parking lot. Follow the parking lot parallel to Hillsboro Rd towards the mall.
Approaching Cavalry Church, there's a grass area separating the two churches. Get off and walk across the grass. Continue towards the mall.
There's a path between Cavalry and the Krystal parking lot.

From there, you become more "sidewalk friendly" and you should be able to safely navigate to anywhere in Green Hills. Suggestions? The two churches could install a sidewalk between the parking lots, allowing neighborhood pedestrians and bicyclists to safely connect. They could go as far as painting bicycle symbols to guide cyclists through the parking lots.

23rd and Woodmont is easy to get to from Natchez Trace, Woodlawn, Bowling, Hillsboro Village. An alternative route to the mall is to use Belmont, then cut down on Glen Echo.

One last note, I'm a pretty avid bicyclist. But since I first started riding, I've never seen a hill so steep I couldn't walk.