Mark Dalton

So in my continued effort to make life easier and simplify my digital existence I have started the project to convert my filing cabinet. One of the downsides of adulthood, is the plethora of paperwork you are destined to deal with. Everything from bank statements and insurance policies, to boiler instructions and heating schematics.

So the first task was to identify what I was going to need and how it was going to work, the two obvious tools were a scanner and a computer! So I checked the HP website and found an updated software bundle for my HP OfficeJet 7210 Multifunctional device that were certified for MAC OS 10.5.x. Once installed on my MacBook Pro and MacBook Air the full functionality of the device was at my disposal. The next step was a little harder as I needed to figure out what my workflow was going to be before I could identify what software I was going to require. So I decided to go through my filling cabinet and review the contents. I needed to find out what kind of information I was working with and was actually quite a simple task. I think that PDF it going to be the preferred format as it can cope with both images and text, and if I had some Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to the process, should also be searchable.

The next consideration is security! I figure I have three types of data;

Type 1: Insensitive Data – This is data that is to all intense and purpose no use to anybody else but me, and includes items such as manuals and instructions, for example the Boiler manual, and the instructions for the hot water and control system.

Type 2: Sensitive Data – This is data that could be used by others and could compromise my personal security or be used to impersonate my identity, such as education and health records and official correspondence such as voting data and official correspondence.

Type 3: Confidential Data – This is data that could severely impact my personal security, financial well being, and could certainly be used to impersonate me or secure financial benefits in my name, such as bank and credit card statements.

No I use two online services for general data storage. The first is MobileMe and iDisk, the second is Evernote. Now I use iDisk to store items such as pictures and graphics (Usually for web design work) and general correspondence and reference material. Evernote I use primarily for reference material that I rarely use but consider to useful to throw away. Now I don’t see MobileMe and iDisk as a solution for storing any of these types of data, mainly due to the size restrictions. I do however think that Evernote (Which I under use drastically) could be a candidate for the first type of data (Type 1).

Now I just need to figure out what to use for the other two data types!

WARNING: Okay I”m in ranting mode!

So tonight I thought I would check out the Microsoft site to see if they had a response to the latest Apple announcement. What do I find? Well on hitting the main corporate site http://www.microsoft.com the first thing they want to know is if I want to install “Silverlight“? Given the ground they need to make up they really want to pitch to a Mac user “Silverlight“. Hey guys “Browser check”?

To add to the soup the first thing I see on the corporate website, after declining the latest Microsoft plugin is an advert for Mojave. Microsoft seem to think this is a “Plus” for them!

Needless to say I found my way to a much more worthwhile endeavor! Fantastic Contraption Anyone?

Okay so one thing that drives me nuts is poor customer service. So on my recent trip to Criccieth in North Wales, a trip that was difficult to start with as it was for my grandmothers funeral, I booked myself into what looked a good hotel, The George IV. My experience however was a nightmare. On checking in they claimed to have no booking for me, when I stated I had booked it over the phone and received email confirmation I was told that this was impossible as they didn’t have email. I pulled out my iPhone and pulled up my email and showed them the email I had received, oh they said yes she does have “the email”. They then asked how I would like to pay, I once again showed them the email and how it stated that I had paid in advance.

After checking in I was advised that the room wasn’t ready and it would be an hour or so, my mind being else where I asked if I could leave my luggage. They agreed I could leave it in the room, and sat there and pointed me in the direction of the lift. Well, I should have known at this point that I was in for a bad experience but as I said, my mind was elsewhere.

The lift looks like it was very much an afterthought and was more representative of a broom cupboard than anything else. I opted to struggle up the two flights of the stairs and found my way down the narrow corridors to the room.

The room was basic, but I didn’t intend on spending much time in it so I dropped off my bag and then made my way to my Nan’s house.

Later that evening I made my back to the hotel and was in desperate need of a beer and headed for the bar with my laptop to catch up on email. I was just settling into my second pint when I felt a drip on my neck. Before I knew it the staff were running in with buckets as water started to pour through the light fittings.

I quickly grabbed my laptop and placed it in its case. I asked the staff what was going on and they simply shrugged. I asked to see the manager and this disheveled Italian man appeared. I asked what was going on and if it was safe and it assured me that it was a small leak and suggested I go to bed and not worry about it. I told him that I wasn’t convinced and that water and electricity generally didn’t work well together and asked him to reassure me that it was safe. At this point he lost it and ordered me to go to bed. I wasn’t persuaded but headed to my room. When I saw that not only was water dripping through the light fitting in my room, but it had gone all over the suit that I was due to wear to the funeral I completely lost it. I collected my belongings and left.

I checked myself into the Marine Hotel and I received a lovely welcome. I explained what had happened and they looked knowingly at me. I had a fantastic stay there and the couple that run it were very pleasant and accommodating. The hotel itself was lovely and clean, and the rooms were very homely and comfortable. The price was significantly less that the George, and breakfast was included.

Okay so it has been a while since my last post, but it has been a hectic couple of weeks, and I haven’t really felt ready to talk about it until now.

So after Eleanor’s Christening my parents took my Nan home to Wales. On arriving she wasn’t her normal self and it became apparent she wasn’t well and the doctor was called. The doctor quickly identified that she’d had a stroke and she was taken into hospital. Over the next few days she had a couple more strokes and generally went down hill. On the 27th September 2008 she passed away.

Needless to say it wasn’t a particularly easy time, and all I could really focus on was work and the forth coming funeral. We buried my Nan on the 7th October 2008 in the Village that she was born in with my Granddad who dies several years ago. As you can image it was a very emotional time but it was a nice service that focused on the lady she was.

So a friend, let’s call her Sarah, hurt her toe to the extent it’s been put in a splint. So being “slightly crazy” we, okay I, decided it needed a voice.

Yup Sarah’s Toe dot com was born!