HOWTO: Connect AOL DSL to a Linksys Router

To connect your AOL high speed internet service to a router is fairly simple if you have good information. AOL tech support gave me some bad advice in the beginning which caused me about an hour of headache before I called them back. To connect takes a couple of AOL specific setup instructions which I'll show you here:

1. Log into your Linksys router. To do this, open a web browserand type: http://192.168.1.1 an authentication box will open and you willneed to type in admin for the username and admin for the password.
2. Once logged in, you will need to change the Internet Connection Type to PPPoE. This is only if you are using a DSL connection. 
3. You will need to set a User name and Password. Both are the phone number you use to dial your DSL connection (probably your home number). The user name is your phone number @ aol-hs while the password is just your phone number. An example user name and password would be: u:5035552424@aol-hs p: 5035552424 . The other settings are pre-set and work fine. You can click on the picture above for more detail.
4. The next step is to actually initiate the connection. Click on the Status tab at the top of the screen. In the middle of the page, you will need to click the connect button. The router will attempt to connect to your DSL service. This may take a couple of minutes. If you entered the user name and password correctly, the router should connect and everything should be useable.  After the login succeeds, the Login Status will show "Connected" and you should be connected to the Internet.

Please feel free to post questions in the comments if you run into any trouble.

Vernonia Flood Experience

Last weekend, Lauri and I had the pleasure of driving out to Vernonia Oregon to help the residents recover from a flood. Three weeks prior, several inches of rain had caused the water table in that area to rise to around 8 feet. Lower floors of people's houses had been flooded.

Our church led a team of around 60 people to help with the cleanup. I was impressed by how organized the recovery effort was being handled. FEMA was there and directing the efforts. Given the criticisms of the agency's handling of Hurricane Katrina, I was ready for some real bureaucratic slowness. The opposite was more true. Volunteers were driving in and the volunteer department had a great grasp on what needed to be done, who was where, and how the next volunteer could do the most good.

My crew was assigned to pick up debris from the streets. Residents whose house had flooded had been working for the last couple of weeks on cutting out wet sheet rock, insulation and anything else that was damaged. These materials were stacked on the curb. Our job was to take these six foot piles, load them into the back of a big ol' truck and then take the load to the drop zone. A few others and I brought our pickup trucks and those were designated for overflow and other materials. On one block other materials meant gasoline, propane, paint thinner and fertilizer that was all loaded into my bed and driven to the drop zone. That was a fun trip and I can only imagine the chemistry that must have been going on back there.

Overall the residents were really happy to see us. They were obviously tired from three weeks of demolition work, but they were helping us to know which projects still needed to be done. They were thankful and participatory which made the whole day run even more smooth.

Below is a picture of my truck bed. The picture really doesn't do it justice; the cab was a sheet of mud and there was mud in every corner of the outside. All in all though it was great to help our neighbors to the west recover from a devistating flood. If you would like to help, contact the volunteer department at (503) 791-9629 or go to the City of Vernonia website.

Had to Share This Too:

After posting my last blog, I wanted to make sure everything was working right. So I read the blog and then took a look at the ads. Here's a picture:

Apparently even my blog reeks of beer and booze (a great message for all the children) and you can even save 70% when you buy me from the Google Store.

Music and Genomes: Pandora Nails It!

Many artists don't get math. Conversely, a lot of mathematicians can't do art. It's rare to find a person who appreciates both and even more inimitable to replicate the synthesis of art and science Pandora has created. 

Pandora is not just an online music station, it's also a music genome project combing through the irreducible aspects of millions of songs and discovering the nuances of why we listeners like a particular song. Log on to Pandora and type in an artist you like. A song starts playing and you rate if they chose well for you. If not, you get a new song. If so, the song plays through and then Pandora creates a playlist for you on the fly according to your musical tastes. As more songs play, you continue to rate the songs you hear. Pandora evolves a customized playlist that you are sure to like.

Staffers of Pandora are combing through millions of songs and tagging each song with a series of more than 400 attributes. As you, the user, indicate which songs you like, a personalized list of attributes are created and the service is able to recommend songs to you based on your previous judgements. It's a customized radio station just for you without ads!

The Music Genome Project is a clever name for such an innovative service. Members of Pandora are helping the program to learn the science of why we like music. It's the science and personalization of art. Give it a try at www.pandora.com ; user registration is free well worth the music experience.

Hunting Christmas Trees

Yup, this weekend was the McDonnell family Christmas tree hunt. This event is always well attended by both Lauri and I and is a great time to get the annual tree. While I could go on and on describing the great hunt, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

1. Lauri wanted something she could carry:
2. I wanted something that would fill the area in our great room:
3. Lauri went to the bathroom for a minute and I got to work:
4. We compromised and now we have a great tree in our great room:

Rob Klingel: One Step Closer to the Looney Bin

This is my father in law, whom I have the utmost respect for, on a bender and cruising for chicks.

It warms my heart to think that our offspring will share these genes.

Hippos Eating People

This is too strange not to post here. I can't tell if this is true or not, but my friend Jared made me aware of this and he rarely lies; he's very professional. Anyway, just had to share this:

Why you shouldn't renew your cell phone contract

I hate cell phones. It's a pretty common fact. The value they provide is simply to place and receive calls from most anywhere in the world. The service they provide is terrible though. I remember being an AT&T subscriber and having nearly every one of my calls dropped. I would have cancelled this service except I entered a contract which would have cost me more to cancel than to take in the shorts. I'm now with T-mobile, which I like a lot, but Google may have just changed how the cell phone game is played.

This change is thanks to the Android Software Platform Google just announced. Google is no stranger to changing the way we do things. They've supported a gigantic business simply by displaying text advertisements next to the Internet content we already view. They just announced their intention to enter the cell phone market. I think this will be the next major milestone in Google's company history.

Google is a member of the Open Handset Alliance, a group of around 30 manufacturers and developers who will create the basic capabilities of the handsets but then rely on independent software developers to create cool applications (like maps, games and email clients) for the phone. Some basic functionality like GSM (cell phone network) and Wi-Fi (every one else's network) will be built into the phone and the software guys will add to that greatness. We'll buy these new handsets in stores though I haven't heard how much they will cost.

Given the software capabilities of the phone, this will really change the way we use our cell phones. We will have the ability to play games, take and edit pictures, receive email, browse the web and a whole host of other services only available to high end subscribers now. The phones come with cameras and I bet we'll be able take and edit video for youTube as well. A location sensor exists in the phones so we will be able to get directions to where we're going as we are getting lost. In short, this is a powerful computing platform which will enable us to do a lot more with our handsets. First there was the mainframe computer, then there was the desktop, then laptop. The next iteration could very well be the handsets Android supports.

Here's why I think no one should renew their contract: If I understand their intention correctly, Google is looking to expand their business of showing us ads by putting a handset in our hands and giving us access to the Internet. They could burn us like the major mobile carriers do by charging high margin monthly subscription fees and higher cancellation fees in addition to their advertisements, but their model so far has been to give away the platform and just get "butts in the seats."

If you let your cell contract expire and simply go month to month, you can upgrade to a better handset with cheaper out-of-pocket costs as soon as the product is launched. The launch is expected to occur sometime in mid 2008.

One other fun caveat to mention about the Android project. Google is expected to bid for the 700 MHz of bandwidth the FCC auctioning later. This bandwidth would provide Google with the means to host its own cell phone network; we could have Internet and cell phone coverage from Google.

This is a big direction that Google is taking and something that we have seen pay off with the launch of Apple's iPhone. With the marginal service that mobile phone networks provide compared to the high cost we pay, I'm really excited to see a major player come in and change the game of mobile devices and how we use them. Hopefully, we'll all be reflecting on the "dark ages" when we paid a cell phone bill and had lots of dropped calls.

We're at a blazer game!

Lauri's company has season tickets to the blazers. And, because they own half of Portland, we got free parking tonight too. Not bad for a Monday eh?

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Just had to post this:

I read this in the Journal recently and just had to share it:

What is it about Hillary?

Bill Clinton says that Hillary "is" the best candidate for the Democrats. In view of his past remarks about the meaning of "is," it is hard to understand what he means.

Bill Demas

Forrest Hills, N.Y.

Weekend in Hood River

Lauri and I went to Hood River this last weekend for our anniversary. You might ask: "Why Hood River?" It's a good question. Mostly we wanted to get out of the city and not travel too far. We had a good weekend of just walking around, window shopping, great dining and lounging around.

Oak Street Hotel

We stayed at the Oak Street Hotel which is really more like a bed and breakfast than it is hotel. The rooms are well appointed with a comfortable bed (not an old cheap thing), updated furniture and a good sized bathroom. As my previous blog pointed out, it took us about 3 hours to get from downtown Portland to Hood River (normally a 45 min trip) and this room was really welcoming when we arrived. Breakfast was served daily which was great because we got to eat and talk to the front desk person. He gave us a few pointers of hikes we could take and shops we should not skip. We took his advice and really enjoyed ourselves.

Doppio Cafe

Doppio is a cool cafe within 3 blocks of the Oak Street Hotel. It turned out this was the perfect place to watch the Colts/Washington Redskins football game. They have a bigscreen TV mounted on the wall so Lauri and I could watch the game. The sound on the TV was turned off so I could enjoy their free Wi-Fi and catch up on some reading during the times the Colts were stomping on the 'skins. I had some of the best coffee I've ever had at this cafe. It was an organic sumatra brew from which I really didn't expect to notice a difference from the in-organic kind. The coffee at Doppio tasted "cleaner" than any other cup I had. A sumatra blend has a deep earthy taste indicative of really dark coffee. This was no different with the added nicety of having a smooth clean taste. Yummy. We also had one of their home made cookies - we may drive back to Hood River for another one of those; it was excellent.

Big Horse Brewing

Big Horse was a place for us to get out of the rain. We had just finished at G. Wilikers (a kids' toy shop) and wanted to head for higher ground. We walked straight up and probably climbed 500 feet in elevation. We split a pulled pork sandwich which was good enough. It had good flavor and filled us up. Compared to Beth's pulled pork though, it was just ok. I had a beer tour of 4 of their house brews: a Belgian Trippel, a Red, an Oatmeal Stout and a copper colored ale. The Red was REALLY hoppy (they warned me before hand) and was probably my least favorite. It was ok, but the other three beat it hands down. I liked the Oatmeal stout enough to buy a growler and bring it home. I'll probably go back to fill it up sometime.

Solstice Wood Fire Cafe

On our way out of town, we paid the toll to cross the bridge and dine at a restaurant the guy at the Oak Street Hotel suggested. They specialize in pizza's and cleverly enough bake it in their wood fired oven. The ingredients they use are all organic and one can easily taste the difference. We had a large pizza and I had a Walking Man's beer. The pizza was well worth the stop. The food was excellent and the environment was cool too. They had an iPod playing in a Bose Sound Dock which is not newsworthy, but he had a good mix of jazz going on and it was good enough that I didn't want to get in the car and come home. If you're in Hood River, I highly suggest crossing the river and eating at Solstice. The prices were fair, the service was great and it tasted better than eating at home.

All in all, it was a great anniversary weekend in Hood River. We'll probably go back again soon. There were a ton of hiking trails on highway 14 (in WA) that we missed and at least two hiking paths that we passed on because of the weather. Spring or early fall would be spectacular I bet.

Sitting in traffic

I left work today at 3:30. I work in Beaverton and as of this writing, I've made it all the way to NE 82nd.

Wow.

Three hours in the car has been really painful while we make our way out to hood river for our anniversary weekend. We're going to experience the gorge and all it has to offer; we are also going on murder mystery train ride.

This is a picture I took while merging on to I-405 almost two hours ago. Ughhhh.

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Another reason to be proud of Lauri

File this one under bad lawyers. Lauri had been interviewing at a few places before she got her current promotion. One of the places she interviewed at even gave her an offer. For the purposes of professionalism, let's call the firm Dewey, Cheatum & Schlotzkeys (DC&S). 

The interview went amazingly well and we were both excited to be making a move to a position with more challenges and closer to home. A week went by and they asked for references. Then another week went by and she called her references to see if DC&S had contact them. They had and were giddy that offer might be coming up soon.

We waited another THREE WEEKS before an offer EMAIL came in. Now, DC&S knew how much Lauri was making before she even interviewed. She checked with human resources to make sure the interview wasn't a waste of either of their time. The offer email came in a full $5,000 less than she was making. If the firm hadn't known what Lauri's current salary was, this would have been just a minor slip rather than the slap in the face it actually was. To be low balled like that really hurt her. Next came the fumble with the rest of offer.

$5k less wasn't necessarily a deal breaker if they could make up for it in other benefits. The offer email didn't explain out of pocket health expenses or any other fringe benefits that typically come with an offer. Lauri wrote back (within a day) to ask about what else might come with the job. Vagueness. Total and complete obscurity. Written back was a dance around the potential for a 401(k) though no guarantees, some sort of health plan though details were scant. No mention of dental, vision, time to be vested in their fake 401(k), vacation time or ANY other benefit that would rationalize a substantial drop in pay.

Enter a little more spice: during the three weeks that it took DC&S to write an offer email, Lauri was offered a promotion at her current job. This indeed offered her the challenges she was looking for and bumped her pay. This is why I'm most proud of my wife. She started negotiating like I've only seen her do at home. She fired back the insulting pay with vague benefits in a completely professional matter. So professional in fact, that she was actually still considering taking the job. She also mentioned that the market value for the job offered was higher and she had just received a promotion at her current job. 

Now for the truly unprofessional. We waited a week and heard nothing. Then I think she called and didn't hear anything. Then we waited another week and another until a month went by. We had actually given up after about a week and then received an email this morning explaining that they were not able to offer to meet her salary requirements. It was ironic that by dragging their feet, they let her current employer up the ante with a promotion.

Not that they even tried. What really bakes the noodle is that they knew her salary going into this whole negotiation and the HR department said her present salary was within the range their position offered. I expect very little from attorneys. Honestly. I know a few I really admire and truly bring a lot of class to the profession. DC&S is a firm that has hired a zoo full monkeys and doesn't have a shred of credibility to stand on.

The good that came out of all this though is a newfound respect for my wife. It took a lot of guts and character to negotiate with that firm before the deal soured. It looked like it was going to be a good move for her and we were both excited. Watch out America, Lauri is getting thicker skin and more self respect.

Baseball's Dining Venture

Tonight, my sister invited a few friends to watch game 1 of the world series. What a stinker. A 1-13 slaying by Boston made for a boring game early in the 4th inning. But, it got me thinking about the business of baseball and the true "athleticism" of the game.

I'm a big football fan so most of my prejudice comes from watching big guys in tight clothing. I noticed that baseball players:

• Don't run fast
• Are mostly overweight
• Chew a lot of gum

Watching the Socks hit nearly every pitch thrown gave me a lot of insight. Each player makes about seven figures a season playing somewhere in the neighborhood of 130 games. If I had to work 1 out of every 3 days of the year, I would learn how to run the 90 feet between home and first faster than anyone else. Especially if by doing so got me on base more often and therefore more moola. Most of the guys I witnessed trotted leisurely to the base and some got out because they stopped for a beer on the way to first. How do they make so much with so little effort?

As I said before, I like football. Big dudes in tiny pants do it for me I guess. At least the big men in that sport have some serious athleticism. It's hard being a lineman. First, you have to weigh over 300 pounds. Then you have to carry that bulk full speed ahead for run blocking and make holes for your tailback. Baseball players are not 300 pounds, but most of them aren't skinny either. I guess I attribute baseball as a public health hazard; the players stand in the outfield or sit in the dugout about 90% of the time lending to a sedentary lifestyle.

Lastly, they all chew a butt load of gum. It must be because they're bored from their sedentary lifestyles and at least gum gives them the practice of blowing bubbles.

Gathering that baseball players don't take their job too seriously, I figured they must be in some other venture. I thought this as I got the bill for our dinner which we ate while watching the whole game. We bought more beer, appetizers and dessert than we usually would. Baseball is a ridiculously long sport. Each game is requires about 9 hours. The Lord created the world in 6 days or about 3.5 baseball games. In that time, dining establishments can upsell the crap out us. I bet behind the scenes of every great baseball game lies an owner of a restaurant hoping it goes into extra innings.

Lauri on Vacation

Lauri and I went to a nature park while we were on vacation in Florida. Here, Lauri is doing her Manatee impression. I think she does it pretty well.

Fish I caught

For my first post, I wanted to show off some fish that I caught. I was in Florida on vacation with my wife and her parents. Rob, Lauri's dad, took me out on a guided inland fishing trip. We caught a TON of fish. Below is a Redfish that I caught and landed. It was a big bugger at 27.5". It turns out that there is an upper limit to fish you can catch. This one had to be thrown back because it was over limit. That's a nice problem to have.


Next up is a snook I caught at 39". That guy fought valiantly, but I won in the end. That's Brian the guide next to me. If you're in Florida, I highly recommend him for a great trip.

Beakers Becomes Mrs. Beakers Miller

I went to Omaha for a day last month to attend one of my best friends' wedding. I should write a screen play and call it my best friends' wedding. I bet that could be a hit.

People asked why I went for a day. Well, first it's Omaha and there's not a ton to do there anyway. Don't get me wrong, the city rules, but I went without Lauri and it just didn't make sense to party hard. Second, it was a small wedding and I was the sole representative of Whitworth University. So it was just me and the Knuth family.

Her family was gracious enough to take me in as one of their own and I had a great time hanging out with her little (they used to be little) brothers and their girlfriends. I also reconnected with her sister and brother in law. I'm not sure if I've shared this before, but one of my great party tricks is falling. I only fall in the presence of a Knuth though. It's a nutty super power, but it's consistent. This trip (pun intended) was no different. Running up some stairs with some of Beakers' wedding presents in hand, I tripped on the third to last stair. It must have been a thing of beauty because instead of eating face on the second to last stair, I high jumped and did a barrel roll Bruce Lee would have been proud of. Naturally Beakers, Jamie and a couple of others were present to embarrass me the rest of the day.

She looked great that day and the wedding was honestly one of the best I've been to. A small ceremony with close friends and family. I had the good fortune to meet her husband, Matt. Naturally he was a good guy. Good wedding Beakers; totally worth the trip.