Cable modem upgrade

network-speed_home_20100321, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

I joke w/ my wife all of the time that I get better speed at home on my Cable Modem then she gets at her office (where they have two T-1's for Phone and Data).

This was despite the original Motorola Surfboard that I had bought when I first got cable high speed back in Virgina (that supported the DOCSIS 1.1 standard). That modem was no longer supported by my provider - so I finally went ahead and upgraded to the new Surfboard modem that supports DOCSIS 3.0.

The upgrade was a snap. Connected it it up the cable line, powered it up, called Tech Support so they could update the MAC address of the new modem, reboot my wireless router - and I was on-line.

My next step was to perform a speed check to see what I gained. The download speed shown isn't the overall download speed - but the peak speed once the Download Boost kicks in (on larger files). The real gain - was on the upload speed. It went from 1.5 up to the 6.5 shown.

Either way - if your provider offers DOCSIS 3.0 compatible service - go ahead and upgrade to a new Cable modem. It is worth it.

Eva Air Boeing 777

Eva Air Boeing 777 returning to Phoenix, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

Not a normal visitor to Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. In this picture it is arriving for the 2nd time in a week.

[no scheduled airline currently flies a Triple 7 in or out of Phoenix on a regular basis]

Early last week - it flew from Taipei direct to Phoenix, to pick up the LA Dodgers for a set of exhibition games to be played in Taiwan.

[LA Dodgers are in Phoenix - as part of Cactus League Spring Training. About half of the Major League Baseball teams are in Arizona right now.]

Then last Saturday (Mar 14th), it brought them back and I got this picture as the plane was about to land before sunset. It only stayed long enough to drop the team off, refuel and then it left later that same night.

F-22 Raptor - High speed pass on the tower

F-22 Raptor - High speed pass on the tower, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

I posted this picture a little over 3 days ago. I took it last weekend in Tucson (AZ) watching the Air Force rehearsal some of the demo routines they will fly during air shows around the country.

Someone who saw the picture on Flickr, Digg'd it - and it ended up on 2 different blog posts (freerepublic.com and rotter.net) and now is my #2 most viewed picture w/ over 1,700 views.

Maybe there is something to this Internet thingy.....

Most Viewed pictures for February 2010

Most Viewed pictures for February 2010, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

About half are new, and are from either this years or last years trips to Florida.

The picture of the different cruise missiles at the US Air Force Museum (lower right hand corner) was the winner for the month - but I couldn't get it to show up in the center block no matter how many times I tried.

My most recent rental car - a Kia Rondo

A Kia Rondo, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

Unlike the Nissan Versa I had back in the fall (and positively hated it), my most recent trip involved this Kia Rondo.

At first I was like - great another cheap small car. But it pleasantly surprised me. It had a 3rd row (which got used during lunch breaks) that folded down easily for carrying luggage. And it didn't feel underpowered (I could accelerate onto the highway just fine). My only complaints were that the windows weren't tinted, and there was no cover for the back (w/ the 3rd row folded down), so I had to make sure my stuff was secure when I parked the car.

Surprise upgrade

Upgrade to a large SUV, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

When I travel on business - usually one of the first questions my daughter asks me when I am on the phone with her is "What kind of car do you have?"

So I started taking pictures of my rental car with my Blackberry so she can see them.

Last month - even though I reserved an Intermediate (read that small/mid-size car), when I got to the counter the clerk asked if I wanted a mini-van or SUV. Since it was just me - and I normally drive a SUV, I took the SUV, and got this Jeep Commander.

[basically - it sounded like the car rental company had already rented out all of the cars that size, and didn't have a lot of demand from families - for the large SUV.]

Smooth highway ride w/ power when you need it. A 3rd row for extra people - which folded down easy to carry luggage. But it was the interior that really turned me off. It was plain black plastic. It felt cheap.

If someone gave me one, I wouldn't turn it down - but I don't think I would buy one myself.

Most Viewed Pictures for January 2010

Most Viewed Pictures for January 2010, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

I did the Mosaic as 5x5 this month instead of 4x4 (w/ one large image in the center) because there were fewer repeats this month. Usually I get one or two images that constantly get a large number of views - but this month the Top daily views were spread across pictures old and new.