Introducing the Intuos Tablet...

"Martha's Vineyard Red Night" by MDG

Ok, it is a rare and dangerous day when we actually praise a product on this blog. But, we think we have just stumbled upon what might just be our next favorite gadget of all things technological. At least for the next New York Minute...

Introducing the Intuos 3 Tablet, by Wacom, which by it's branding advertises it's "for the serious photographer, designer, and artist". MDG was looking for a gadget to buy over the recent MA tax holiday weekend. Sadly, they were out of the Wii and the big flat screen seemed a bit overzealous we reached for the next best thing, we think. Check it, check it, check it out. Holy Batman, we like it.

It comes with a tablet, wireless pen and mouse you connect to your laptop/desktop. Installation is easy, guided step by step through their tutorial wizard. All connects well and you're off. Several graphic editing programs support the Intuos functionality with some of it's tools. For example, Photoshop brushes work with the pen and you can control width during the drawing line with the pen on the tablet. There's some pretty neat sh()t we've been discovering and we've just opened the cover. Double guns thumbs up from us!

Peace Out,
Mystery Dinner Guest & Claude

Good Luck configuring your Belkin Wireless Router

This post will fall into the "rant" category, which last we polled our fabulous audience was the number one area you wanted more.

So backin it up a few days, Mystery Dinner Guest was busy like a bee painting away when the ladder rungs caught in the modem and wireless router wires and kaboom! Toppling off the bookshelf and crashing onto the wood floor below went the lil devices. Now, the Comcast modem faired just fine, still working, in shape and ready to rock. The Belkin wireless router device not so much. Maybe something to do with its delicate little antennae. We don't really know or care other than to determine it no longer connected us to the internet. Seemed simple enough to fix.

Purchasing a new Belkin wireless router, we thought setting it back up would be a walk on the beach. Five days later, and several clumps of hair missing, we are back online with the router. Though no thanks to the phone conversation we had last night with Belkin technical support.

Dang we wish we had the transcript to share. We shall try our best to recreate the conversation which started after ten minutes on hold, with a helpful message about having your Product ID number ready or to hang up and call back with it... playing at the eleventh hour of hold time. Mad scramble to run downstairs, write down the id and run back to the computer still not connecting to the internet.

Ray: Hi my name is Ray. Is this an existing case or a new one?
MDG: Hi, yes this is a new issue.
Ray: Can I have your phone number?
MDG: Um, can I give you my cell number? I'm calling from a LAN line I really don't use.
Ray: Fine mam, I just need a number to call you at in case this call gets disconnected.
MDG: Ok, great. It's xxx.xxx.xxxx.
Ray: Can I have your email address?
MDG: Do you need it to take this call? I'd prefer not to give it out.
Ray: Ok, we'll revisit that at the end of the call. Alright and can I get your name?
MDG: MDG
Ray: Ok, and what's your product ID?
MDG: It's F5D9230-4
Ray: And what's the model number?
MDG: Is that on the bottom of the router?
Ray: Yes.
MDG: Ok, hang on I have to run downstairs to get it for you.
*** runs downstairs to get model id, wonders why this wasn't part of the sweet message in the eleventh hour on hold ***
MDG: Ok, it's 3001.
Ray: What operating system are you on?
MDG: Well, there are two computers. One is running on Windows XP and one is running on Vista.
Ray: There are two computers?
MDG: Yes. That isn't a problem, is it?
*** long pause ***
Ray: No. Who is your internet provider?
MDG: Comcast.
Ray: So what's the problem you're having?
MDG: Well, I'm trying to install the Belkin wireless router. I have one of the computers seeing the wireless network fine and surfing the internet. The other computer will see the wireless network, but will not surf out to the internet.
Ray: So where are the two computers?
MDG: One is upstairs and is connecting wirelessly, and the second is also upstairs and is the one having the problem.
Ray: Wait, you're trying to connect to them both wirelessly?
MDG: Yes, that's why I got the router.
*** wtf? ***
Ray: You don't have one of the computers hardwired to the router?
MDG: Nooo... I have both of them in a different room than the router and am trying to connect from there.
*** seriously dude, the concept of having a wireless router at your home is not to hardwire your computer to the router ***
Ray: Ok mam, the problem is not with the Belkin wireless router in this case.
MDG: Well, what is the problem then?
Ray: The problem is with your computer. You need to call the manufacturer of your computer and ask them for support with fixing your computer.
MDG: But why can't you help me when it's having a problem connecting to your device?
Ray: Mam I cannot help you any further at this point. You need to contact the manufacturer and they are going to tell you you need to call Belkin support and what you really need to do is figure out the problem with your computer.
*** did I just get bitch slapped by this guy or what? ***
MDG: Ok, well seriously, I think you need to have a conversation with your Manager and tell them that they should be providing you with some kind of additional resources to give people like me when they call with this kind of a problem. You can't tell me that I'm the first person to call in with this kind of a problem?
Ray: No.
MDG: And so you're giving me no information on how to resolve this?
Ray: The problem is not the wireless router. The router is working fine. You just told me that one computer is surfing the internet with it. You need to fix your computer. The router is working.
MDG: Ok, well I still think that you should tell your Manager that I'm an unsatisfied customer with your technical support and they should consider providing some more resources. You didn't help me at all. You didn't give me any information I didn't have before this call, and now you're telling me it's my problem. How are you offering technical support? *** huge exhale *** MDG: I hope you have a good night.
*** disconnects the line and heads downstairs for the Vodka ***

Now all I'm left to wonder is what would Claude have done? Would he have handled it differently? Would he have been able to sweet talk Ray Ray into giving it up, telling him the precious piece of information to connect to the internet?

Peace Y'All + Our 50th Post!

First off, DazzlinDonna over at SEO Scoop developed a brilliant web site, ForPeaceNow.com where you can get and place these awesome kick ass badges to display on your blog/web site/whatever. Donna wrote a really interesting post here about getting back to Peace, and the web site is a spin off from there (at least I think that's the correct sequence of events). We thank you Donna for such an inspirational idea, and we support the effort!

Note from Claude: So my only problem is that while supporting Peace overall, I still have a really foul mouth and like to call some sh*t out from time to time. Ok, so maybe sometimes more frequent than that metric, but still. So I hope this is not an inherent conflict, becuz we like to rant sometimes and hope that that part is still cool-n-the gang?

Side Note from Claude: So my other complaint I'd like to lodge here is with current Facebook makers of Scrabble game. Yo! What the F is going on with your SH*T?!?!? Could you PLEASE for the love of the big "G" spend some time going through all of your user feedback forums, throw a sh*tload of $$ at this application ASAP and make it happen?! I heard it through the grapevine, that you're app is WHACK right now. Get your reputation management PANTS ON!

Ok, so back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Right and so the one last thing we wanted to mention is we just celebrated our 5oth Mystery Dinner Guest blog post! A huge thank you to our parents, our siblings, and our loyal rock star fans out there for all your eyes and time. We hope you keep on rockin' the next 50 posts with us.

Peace Out,
Mystery Dinner Guest & Claude

Reasons for Cuil's Less than Stellar Launch Include Strawberries and Muffins, Oh My!

This just in, we now have some factual information to back up what may have triggered the series of most unfortunate events with the recent launch of wanna be Google killer "Cuil". According to a few online sources, Cuil whittled away their $33 million dollar VC backing on strawberries and muffins, free lunches every day, uber-flexible work schedules, and extravagent first class plane tickets.

According to UK based The Register, more recent issues with the new search engine include exposing people to excessive amounts of unsolicited porn, a result they say which was caused by some "serious file corruption". Things are not rolling along smoothly for launch week.

But, they have one ace up their sleeve... online super hero Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land and now Editor-at-Large for Sphinn, turns out to be friends of one of the people involved in launching Cuil. Is it coincidence then his reviews of the product are mainly positive, upbeat, and he seems to be spear heading up the Cuil reputation management defense?

It's amazing what little $33 million can buy you some days.

Peace Out,
Mystery Dinner Guest & Claude

Bye Bye Manny and Good Luck!

Well maybe that explains Manny's jog the other night. And possibly the overall less than stellar team performance. We just heard the news last night a little past 5pm that Manny is leaving the Red Sox! At first, it felt like shock and awe. We're really going to miss:

• the tremendous amount of tar he managed to fit on his helmet
• the patented toss of the helmet, passing 2nd or 3rd base on a home run hit
• manny being manny
• manny's hair
• manny's smile
• manny's sense of humor
  

Good luck to you Manny in your new digs. And we hope that your real reason for you leaving us isn't the US Dollar, cuz that would just be, like, tremendously sad and incredibly vacuous.

Game back on! Let's go Red Sox, Let's Go!!!

Peace out,
Claude + MDG