CyberCJH’S Blog

I have adopted this new philosophy at work.
It seems to work.
I suggest you give it a try at work and see if it works for you, too.

written by cybercjh

It’s time for Open Enrollment where I work and to no surprise, premiums have risen by ridiculous percentages compared to everything else.

• Medical insurance premium up 22%.
• Retail Prescriptions : No changes to co-pay.
• Mail Order Prescriptions : Generics now free! Co-pay for brand name down 25%! (I imagine this is because the company I work for is now owned by a mail order pharmacy. Ha!)
• Dental insurance premium up 56%.
• Vision insurance premium up 33%.
• Short Term Disability insurance premium up 15%.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m very grateful I have insurance. But, when will the increases return to normal percentages?

written by cybercjh

Well, after Yellow Freight failed to show up Friday afternoon, I’m happy to report that the desks were delivered today and apparently in good condition.

Finally. Thank God. It’s a miracle.

Christina is home so she was able to unpack them and look at them. Her work closed at 2pm and will by closed tomorrow due to TS Fay. Tina’s work closes at the slightest suggestion of a thunderstorm.

My work, of course, sent out an e-mail saying we will be open for business as usual tomorrow and we all need to stop being such pus*ies about a little bit of rain and wind. WTF?! I thought I left that dreadful place in Mt. Laurel years ago! What’s the number to the in-touch line?

written by cybercjh

First, it’s almost 3pm and our computer desks are still not delivered.

Second, I’m having a hell of a time trying to get three domains setup through my reseller. I can’t get the domains to come up. My reseller has all but given up in trying to troubleshoot the problem which, I would think, obviously lies on their end. I’m responsible to register the domain name and setup an account for the domain. That’s it.

I’ve been with this reseller for many years. Maybe it’s time for a change…

written by cybercjh

Interesting post on Heather’s blog about measuring your eco-footprint. I took the survey and this is the result …

1. In my home, I recycle …

• newspaper
• mixed paper (junk mail, magazines, cereal boxes)
• aluminum foil
• glass bottles and jars
• household batteries
• egg cartons
• paper and plastic bags
• aluminum cans
• tin cans
• plastics
• used clothes, furniture and appliances

2. To reduce my use of materials, I …

• none

3. To reduce pollution, I …

• dispose of toxic substances on designated days and in designated places (Port St. Lucie has a drop off site for this stuff)
• avoid asbestos (uh, who doesn’t?!)

4. When I shop, I …

• take my own bags to the store
• decline excess packaging and bags
• limit my use of disposable products (I take my own lunch to work now in reusable plastic containers)
• buy and use durable products
• check for the EnergyStar label rating (the freezer we just bought has this)

5. I watch what I eat by …

• not eating fish that are threatened

6. To be more energy efficient, I …

• use EnergyStar-labeled appliances

7. For transportation, I …

• combine car trips and eliminate unnecessary trips
• keep the car tuned and the tires pumped
• recycle used motor oil and tires

8. In my yard, I …

• none

9. In my spare time, I …

• don’t collect wildflowers or protected plants
• don’t litter

10. At my workplace, I …

• reuse office supplies when possible
• use reusable cups and dishes
• use the stairs rather than the elevator

SCORE: 28

It says I’m an Eco-Apprentice since my score was between 26-50 … Well done! You’re well on your way to living your greenest, though you still have a little way to go. Take the pledge below and keep moving in the right direction.

How did you score? Take the survey here: http://www.conservation.org/act/live_green/Pages/ecofootprint.aspx

written by cybercjh

Nothing is ever as easy as it sounds.

Order furniture. Have it delivered. Assemble it. The end.

The second set of desks ordered by Staples and butchered (opps, I mean delivered) by FedEx were again both damaged.

If the damage was underneath or on some hidden area of the desk, I wouldn’t care. But, all of this damage is on the desk’s surface. So, needless to say I was very disappointed.

I called Staples and told them I want new replacements (this will be the thirdset of desks) and I want them delivered by someone other than FedEx. The guy I spoke to at Staples said this wouldn’t be a problem.

We’ll see what happens.

To be continued (I’m sure)…

written by cybercjh

The two Bush corner desks we ordered from Staples were delivered damaged by FedEx. According to the Staples representative I talked to, this is a pretty common occurrence with FedEx. In fact, they don’t even want the damaged furniture back. They’ll just send us replacements and suggested we donate the damaged furniture to the Salvation Army. That doesn’t give me much confidence that the replacements won’t come damaged as well.

On Thursday night, we put together my desk extension. On Friday night, we put together Tina’s. Yesterday, we put together both drawers. I really hurt my back doing all that. I think the drawers will have been the most difficult. We still have both corner desks (to be delivered this week, I hope) and the Tina’s bookcase to put together.

Want to see some pictures?

written by cybercjh

Too much iced tea, I guess.
Thank God for Family Guy on Adult Swim.

written by cybercjh

At Monday’s FCC hearing on broadband, AT&T Senior Federal Regulatory Vice President Robert Quinn said the company would be changing the way they advertise their broadband tiers. According to Quinn, the new system will change AT&T’s practice of marketing their DSL tiers as ‘up to’ the maximum potential speed.

AT&T’s current DSL plans (in the BellSouth territory) are:

Lite: Up to 768Kbps U / 128Kpbs D : $19.95/mo
Ultra: Up to 1.5Mpbs U / 256Kpbs D : $32.95/mo
Xtreme: Up to 3Mpbs U / 384Kbps D : $37.95/mo
Xtreme 6.0: Up to 6Mpbs U / 512Kpbs D : $42.95/mo

We currently have the Xtreme 6.0 plan and usually get around 4Mpbs. But, even if we were only capable of receiving 1Mpbs because of our distance from the CO, AT&T would still sell us the Xtreme 6.0 package if we asked for it. Now, users will be offered 1.5Mbps or 3Mbps speeds first, then they’ll be offered a faster speed once AT&T is sure they qualify. But, some of what Quinn said was strange:

To assist our customers, AT&T will clearly identify any limitations on the amount of usage that may apply to a customer’s service plan. AT&T will also provide them with information about the impact of bandwidth-intensive applications on their usage so that they may select the service plan that best meets their needs. As our service plans change to reflect evolving Internet usage patterns we will clearly communicate those changes to our customers.

Doesn’t that sound like they’re planning to put usage caps on the different speed tiers? It certainly does to me. But, a report on Broadband DSL Reports says AT&T clarified what Quinn said by saying that neither caps nor metered usage are part of the equation.

I guess we’ll see what happens this fall.

written by cybercjh

In a recent post, I blogged about the 600 Starbucks that are going to be closing around the country.

Just the other day, Starbucks (after saying they wouldn’t do this) released a list of the stores that will be closed.

Five of them are in our area.

1. Treasure Coast Square Mall, Jensen Beach, FL : I’ve been to this Starbucks several times. It always seemed busy.

2. Becker Road & Florida’s Turnpike, Port St. Lucie, FL : They just opened this Starbucks, but I’m not surprised it’s on the list. It’s always empty, there’s never a line at the drive-thru or inside.

3. Indian River Mall, Vero Beach, FL : We’ve only been to this mall maybe three times, but I remember hitting this Starbucks each time we went. And, I remember it being packed each time.

4. Federal Highway & Market Place, Stuart, FL

5. 2223 SE Ocean Blvd., Stuart, FL

In addition, three Starbucks in Palm Beach Gardens are closing. In the Gardens Mall (very upscale), I think there are three Starbucks.

Oh well. I hope they replace the Starbucks on Becker Road with a Dunkin’ Donuts.

Update 12:45pm I stand corrected. There are at present 4 Starbucks in the Gardens Mall.

I’m reading this article on the Palm Beach Post’s website. Some of the people commenting on the article crack me up.

A guy named Andy writes, ”Starbucks Closes? But why, I like overpriced burnt coffee. … Go to Dunkin Donuts … its still the best coffee around.’ Coffee Lover wrote, ‘Good Riddance, wish they would all close. Worse coffee in the world, too strong tasted burnt. Awful. Close them all.’ And, Samantha says, ‘The prices were over the top for a “not that special” cup of coffee!!’

OK. First, Andy. Yes, Starbucks coffee tastes different then Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Starbucks roasts their coffee beans longer than DD does. It’s stronger coffee, not burnt coffee. I like both Starbucks and DD coffee, but I agree with you in that DD is the best coffee around. However, Starbucks new Pike Place Roast tastes just like DD.

Second, real nice comment there, Coffee Lover. I don’t like it therefore it must go away. Apparently, it’s all about you. Yes, we know, we know. Apologizes, your Grace.

And finally, Samantha. Over the top? Prices at Starbucks charges $1.55/$1.75/$1.95 for a small/medium/large. Dunkin Donuts is $1.39/$1.59/$1.79. That’s a difference of 16¢ no matter which size you get. 16¢ is OTT?

written by cybercjh