I spent a long time today migrating this blog over from where it was living before. I had hoped to merge it with the original blog I started back in 2002, The Utterly Sputter. I was able to figure out that the account I used to create that blog 8 years ago is connected to a Hotmail account I don't remember creating or using. I spent over an hour trying to figure out how to get into that account. I tried to answer the secret question. I tried every password I could think of.
Then, I tried to figure out if there was any way to get help from Microsoft to get into the account or help from Google to connect the old blog to my new account. As far as I can tell, it is not allowed to ask for human help in either case. You may give Microsoft feedback, but it clearly states when you hit "send" that no one will ever reply to you.
It was a little trip down memory lane just trying to figure out what emails I had used and abandoned in the past. Libertysurf, yahoo, hotmail, noos, even laposte! I am sure there are webmail accounts out there that I still didn't remember even after all the brain racking I did today. Poor abandoned email accounts, just gathering spam.
iPhone Apps
(excluding games)
Light Saber Unleashed. Free. Uses the accelerometer to do light saber sound effects when you wield your phone in sword battle.
Ghostly Discovery. Free. Ghostly International music app. Very cool interface. Tune your internet radio by mood + speed + more or less electronic.
Elementary Math. 99 cents. Good electronic flashcards plus a cool "math wheel" interface. I got this for Vigo.
Camera Bag. $1.99 Add filters to your photos to make them awesome instead of kinda crappy.
Check out the Camera Bag Flickr Pool to see how nice it is.
Nearby. Free. This is the app that Platial built. I haven't used it since we left the US because of not having unlimited data, so I don't know how good it is in Europe. Try the "collections" tab, it's my favorite.
Shazam. Free. Identifies songs. Very simple, and totally cool.
Skype Free. You can use your wifi to make cheap calls when you're at home and save phone minutes. I have a 2-euro per month subscription for calling US phones.
Urbanspoon. Free. Not sure if it works in Europe, but in the US it is the coolest restaurant finder ever.
Leaf Trombone and Ocarina. 99 cents each. Wind instruments. Seriously awesome.
Read it Later. Free or paid version for more features. Read it Later is my current favorite tech thing. It's an iPhone app that goes with a free Firefox plug in. install the plug in and any time you open up a great but long blog post or article that you don't have time to read, click on the checkmark in the toolbar and close the window. Then your phone app will sync with the browser plug in and pull in the webpages for you to read offline while you're in line at the post office. Brilliant!
Podcasts
Radio Lab. Amazing show. My ultra favorite. Asking the big questions. Science-heavy, but not daunting. Best show so far, about Memory and Forgetting. Blew my mind.
The Moth. True stories told onstage without notes.
Rocketboom. Tech and internet stuff.
TED Talks. Inspiring amazing projects, 20 minute talks.
This American Life. Stories on a theme.
I've been listening to podcasts and watching videos a lot on my phone. My current favorites are TED Talks and the Scientific American Podcast.
Some Favorites:
J.J. Abrams' mystery box
Isabel Allende tells tales of passion
A.J. Jacobs, My Year of Living Biblically
Keith Barry does brain magic
Michael Moschen juggles rhythm and motion
Amy Tan on creativity
The Jill and Julia Show
Pamelia Kurstin plays the theremin
Michael Pollan gives a plant's-eye view
The Long and Winding Road: DNA Evidence for Human Migration; Plus July Issue Highlights
One Singular Sensation: Will We Upload Our Brains, and Other Questions Related to "The Coming Singularity"
I liked the SciAm Podcast about giant pumpkins, but I can't find it on their site. In iTunes you just get one big list of titles. Much easier.
I'm not very good at captchas. They make me wonder sometimes if maybe I am a robot after all. This is a screenshot of an actual captcha that a friend of mine got today.
It took me an hour on the phone to make arrangements for Sam to get to Berlin on the same flight as us. I figure other people could profit from the information I've gathered, though of course you should verify for yourself, too, because these things can change.
When we came over from Paris six years ago, we found the airline with the cheapest dog transport and Erik came over a week later than Vigo and I, with Sam. I remember it all having been fairly straightforward and not terrifically expensive. This time, I got our tickets all together first and then called our airline (Continental) to make the reservation for Sam. I recommend anyone taking a dog to investigate costs for the dog between airlines like we did the first time around. It turns out that Continental has a pretty fancy pet cargo service, including climate control so pets can travel in the summer, which is great. The down side is that it looks like it cost us over $1000 to get Sam to Berlin. The pet transport wasn't any great shakes, either. Sam wasn't let out of her box for the entire trip which lasted just under 18 hours. She did have water, but she was pretty miserable.
So, here's the basic information. Our Sam weighs about 60 pounds and is a fairly big shepherd / pointer / maybe poodle.
The Carrier
* There has to be 3" of clearance from the dog's head to the roof of the kennel.
* The dog has to be able to stand up and turn around inside it.
* The kennel has to be ventilated on all four sides.
* There have to be two dishes attached to the door for food and water.
* Taped to the top of the carrier should be a note saying what time the dog ate last and a ziploc bag containing a small amount of dry dog food.
* The floor of the kennel has to be covered with absorbant material like old towels or blankets, shredded newspaper, etc.
Paperwork and Health Stuff
* The animal cannot be sedated for the trip.
* The animal has to have either a tattoo or a microchip.
* A veterinary health certificate, also called an EU Journal, in English and German, is required. This is a form your vet should give you. It's a thing in several copies with carbon sheets inside, like an export form.
* A rabies vaccination certificate older than 21 days but issued within the past 12 months is required.
* An international health certificate issued within the ten days prior to the flight is needed. It's not that easy to find the English/German form. Someone at the USDA helped me find a pdf. Don't count on your vet having the right form. You might have to bring your own, like I did.
* All your paperwork has to be stamped by the USDA. Be sure to get your veterinary visit far enough ahead of time (but not more than ten days!!) so you can get your paperwork to the USDA and back. This part cost me over $50 in Fedex charges because I only found out about it at the last minute and had to scramble. When I got to Berlin, I discovered that the vet at the USDA had forgotton to sign the papers in one spot, so double-check your USDA papers and if you see a missing signature, forge it yourself. Or go back to the USDA to get it signed, but seriously... no one will be the wiser. It's really the stamp that counts. The USDA vet doesn't even see the animal, for crying out loud! But the Germans are in love with the minor hassle and they will give you one if you are missing the tiniest thing.
Complicated stuff
* Sam has to be at Newark at least two hours prior to departure of our international flight. Since our layover is only 90 minutes, she has to go to Newark on an earlier flight than us.
* You need to deliver your dog to the cargo handlers three hours before your flight. For us that means 9:30 am in Boston.
* If the dog is in transit more than 18 hours, she has to have an onsight exam, which costs money of course. Luckily for us, Sam will not be in transit 18 hours.
* You cannot bring a dog from Germany to the US on a Continental 747 because of weight restrictions. Luckily, we are only taking her one way.
* The largest kennel that will fit in the plane Sam is taking to Newark is an xtra large. If she were to need a jumbo, we'd be screwed. I think an xlarge will be fine.
* Cargo can only be officially booked 7 days in advance, but you can reserve a spot for your dog four months in advance. You get a record number and then you call a week ahead of time to get your confirmation number.
* Berlin Tegel does not take animals on the weekends at all.
Cost
* The weight cost is calculated for the dog and the carrier. It will be about $1000 for Sam on Continental.
* There is also a variable per pound fuel surcharge. It's at about $2 now and will be higher when we are ready to leave.
* Import fee is 50 euros.
* Handling fee is 15 euros.
* Customs can charge you whatever they damn well please. Don't complain to Continental about that.
Now that it's all written up, it feels less daunting. I'll have to find someone with a van to take us to the airport.
Spam is always a drag, but the last couple days I have been getting one subject line in my email that I find particularly unfortunate: "What a stupid face you have here Tracy."
It's really beginning to depress me. I don't need to hear those words in my head every time I look at my email. Time for a filter, I guess.
Maybe I should set up a robot to spam myself with junk email with headers like, "Tracy, you are amazing!" and "I love you Tracy."
"You are smart and pretty, Tracy"
"Your hair looks great today Tracy"
"Tracy, you are so right."
My favorite post from the Boston Live Journal haiku Friday thread
This isn't a haiku,
it only looks like one,
I didn't count shit.