# Dave Tavres > Agilist, Geek, Entrepreneur ## Posts - [Microsoft memories... Bedlam DL3](https://www.davetavres.com/microsoft-memories-bedlam-dl3/): I started working at Microsoft in 1996. Being there in the 90’s was exciting! It was especially interesting doing QA work on so many internet products between 1996 and 2002. I guess I feel a little bit ‘superior’ having been there during the "dot-com" boom and while the internet (for the public) was so ‘young’. To start off this memory, you have to know the difference between “reply” (‘little r’) and "Reply All" (‘big R’). ‘Little r’ means to only reply to the person who sent the email, … - [10 things you should never buy NEW/USED...](https://www.davetavres.com/10-things-you-should-never-buy-newused/): This tidbit comes out of the fact that I’ll see interesting articles to read online, only to find that you have to click through several layers to get to the article… then, it’s broken up into more than one page, and isn’t a very quick read. In this case, I liked most of what the author’s reasons were, but thought I’d throw the lists up here as a quickie. According to MSN Money, here’s two lists: 10 things you should never buy USED: (full article) Laptops Car seats … - [Unknown phone numbers...](https://www.davetavres.com/unknown-phone-numbers/): As a pretty strict rule, I don’t answer calls from numbers that I don’t know. I have a Windows Mobile 5 phone (Cingular 2125) which I LOVE. It synchronizes my contacts from Outlook perfectly. So, when someone calls that I know, the phone displays the person’s name/info, along with the phone number (and it shows if it’s home or mobile or fax, etc.) So, when only a number is displayed on my phone, that means I have no data in my contact list for that number. I let … - [Is it bad to have or share your information on the internet?](https://www.davetavres.com/is-it-bad-to-have-or-share-your-information-on-the-internet/): Whenever I get a phone call from an unknown number, I immediately plug it into Google and about 80% of the time, get an answer as to who called. I also tend to search on names, addresses or companies to find out more about them before I do business with them. That brings me to my own information. I’ve published all kinds of personal information… favorite movies, job information, posted my resume, address phone numbers… all kinds of things. Lately, I’ve been building the list of every place … - [Popcorn Hour! Watch your videos or downloaded content on your TV!](https://www.davetavres.com/popcorn-hour-watch-your-videos-or-downloaded-content-on-your-tv/): So a friend introduced me to "PopcornHour" late last year, and I ordered one. It took a couple of months to get because they were being manufactured. Once I got it, it opened a whole new world to me… Basically, PopcornHour is a "networked media tank". Meaning – you plug this into your TV and your home network and can stream video from the Internet, OR the shared media on your network! Now.. what is "shared media"? All of your digital photos for one. Though their photo slideshow/viewer … - [eBay is now screwing up feedback...](https://www.davetavres.com/ebay-is-now-screwing-up-feedback/): I think one of the best things about eBay was the ability to leave feedback about transactions. Well, they’ve just changed that. Now, the message is: Even though it’s usually the Seller who would receive bad feedback from a Buyer, it’s not good to limit something that has worked so well for so long. As for me, I’ll no longer be leaving ANY feedback of ANY kind. eBay has blown it… AGAIN. - [Finally - a REAL "Microsoft will donate $1 if you..." opportunity...](https://www.davetavres.com/finally-a-real-microsoft-will-donate-1-if-you-opportunity/): Wow… after all the years of getting those emails from friends (even ones who KNOW me) that says "Microsoft will donate $1 for each person that (fill in the blank) [forward this email] / [go to this website] / [add your name to this list]" – it’s actually TRUE. Click here to watch a 30-second ad, and Microsoft WILL donate $1 to "The Smith Family" – an Australian organization that helps disadvantaged kids get a great education. Microsoft will donate up to $100,000 to the organization, just by … - [Microsoft to pay search-engine users...](https://www.davetavres.com/microsoft-to-pay-search-engine-users/): Seems like a good idea… when you’ve got BILLIONS of dollars to try out an idea and not have a loss affect you, give it a shot. Here’s the article – Microsoft to pay search-engine users – (MSNBC.com) – It looks more like a rebate, but hey… free money is free money… And so what if Microsoft has to track what stuff I buy… Target, Best Buy and every other retailer already does that. So… sign up here – http://search.live.com/cashback - [AfriCam... WOW!](https://www.davetavres.com/africam-wow/): It’s not often that I’m really amazed by technology. And especially not a WEBCAM! But in this case… WOW. This is a LIVE webcam from Nkorho, Africa. They are using an EverFocus camera that will automatically follow the movements of animals in the shot, or, if there are no animals, it will scan the area until it finds something. Also, it zooms in (A LOT!) to get AMAZING video of real African animals. If the image gets boring, the camera will pan back and scan the area for … - [TomGreen.com - check it out...](https://www.davetavres.com/tomgreen-com-check-it-out/): Remember Tom Green? I do… funny guy.  He’s a comedian who might be best known for marrying Drew Barrymore. He’s odd. He’s funny. He’s done a lot of random stuff. I still remember hearing about him when I lived in Seattle. The first time I saw his show, he was following a local pizza delivery driver with a plain cheese pizza and a tackle box filled with toppings. When the pizza driver went to the front door of the house he was delivering to, Tom tried to sell … - [Hahhaa.. I'm such a geek - I LOVE this picture...](https://www.davetavres.com/hahhaa-im-such-a-geek-i-love-this-picture/): A good friend of mine emailed this picture to me… The original subject of the email (which he forwarded) read "Cake text printer doesn’t speak Italian, pens errors instead" because it was forwarded with another picture. (Look at the larger version of the photo of the Raisin Ingredients.) As is typical with most people using computers, I did not read the message before I began studying what was "funny" about the picture (and I actually was waiting for a loud scream or some scary zombie to jump up … - [John Wayne Airport is apparently stingy with electricity...](https://www.davetavres.com/john-wayne-airport-is-apparently-stingy-with-electricity/): I recently took a flight out of a John Wayne (Santa Ana) Airport, and was surprised to find that there was not a single electrical outlet anywhere in the public seating areas of gates 10 to 14.  There are outlets at the gate desks, but that’s out of reach for the public seating. I had more than 1.5 hours of waiting for my flight, and didn’t want to run my laptop battery down before I got on the plane (I like to be able to put on a … - [HotSpot Locator... from Microsoft...](https://www.davetavres.com/hotspot-locator-from-microsoft/): Well, Microsoft does some cool stuff.. here’s another one.  Yes, there are other HotSpot Locators out there, but this one seems to be REALLY simple, and has LOTS of spots! Check it out – http://hotspot.live.com - [Fuel cell cars...](https://www.davetavres.com/fuel-cell-cars/): Wow.. I’ve loved the idea of this technology for a long time… although I don’t know a lot about it, I understand that the big problem has been trying to get fuel cell technology to the size of a small car – for obvious reasons. Well, it looks Honda may do it again… over five years ago they “leased/loaned” five of the first generation of the “zero emission” fuel cell cars (Honda FCX).  I think there was even a story in the news that after the five years … - [Before you buy... check RipOffReport.com](https://www.davetavres.com/before-you-buy-check-ripoffreport-com/): As a computer geek, people often ask me about buying online.  Personally, I buy A LOT of stuff online.  I’m less worried about credit card theft online, than I am about the companies who "sell" their wares.  I have had many bad experiences with companies because I didn’t check them out first. My examples have gone like this:  There’s this thing that want, so I search on Google, Froogle, or some other website that lists items for sale from various vendors.  I find the item I want and … - [Wireless internet on mass transit...](https://www.davetavres.com/wireless-internet-on-mass-transit/): It looks like local governments are starting to include technology on mass transit… A new wireless internet solution just rolled out in San Jose which has access points next to the track of a light-rail system that the public can connect to as they commute.  The article says that CalTrans will not charge extra for the service, but I wonder if that will stick. The idea of having shared public access to the internet is a wonderful thought, and there are plenty of ways CalTrans could make money … - [FlashMemoryStore.com ... Part 1](https://www.davetavres.com/flashmemorystore-com-part-1/): I am a HUGE customer service FREAK!  I believe strongly in that old saying "The customer is always right".  No, that doesn’t mean the car dealership should replace your car if you don’t like it after three months – it means, if you buy an item or service and are not satisfied with it, the company that sold you that item or service should do whatever they can (obviously within reason) to make you happy.  Why?  Because of another old saying "Make one customer happy, and they MAY … - [GREAT shipping confirmation email...](https://www.davetavres.com/great-shipping-confirmation-email/): A friend of mine ordered a CD from this place "CDBaby.com" and got this email as a shipping confirmation… ——————————————————————————– From:  CD Baby loves Brad <orders@cdbaby.com Reply-To:  orders@cdbaby.com To:  playloud Subject:  Brad – Your CD Baby Order! (#1284599) Date:  Mon, 2 Jan 2006 19:57:13 -0800 (PST) Brad – Thanks for your order with CD Baby! Shipping Address ================ Brad CA Email: playloud Qty       Description                         Price          Total ===    ===========              =====    =====    1        cd title                                $12.99      $12.99 Sub Total   $12.99 Shipping     $2.25 Grand Total   $15.24 Your CD has been … - [BIG update to MSN Spaces](https://www.davetavres.com/big-update-to-msn-spaces/): Jack is always up-to-date on stuff!  Thanks for the info Jack! Check out the link for details of the MSN Spaces updates! Quote BIG update to MSN Spaces Wow! Some of the highlights: You can subscribe to contact information and be notified of changes. Better URLs (I’m http://spaces.msn.com/jackrichins now instead of the longer one used before). Better privacy controls. Photos are no longer limited to 30 MB – you can upload up to 500 photos per month. Good work! Torres Talking: BIG update to MSN Spaces - [www.AlertMe.net](https://www.davetavres.com/www-alertme-net/): You may have gotten an email from me a while back, but here it is again… This is a service that myself and a friend put together after I shared the idea with him.  I had been thinking about this idea for MANY years, but never did anything about it. Basically, just about everyone has a mobile phone now.  And almost all of those people have the capability to receive text messages via their phone.  So, this FREE service will let you create "Alerts" that will be sent … - [IMDB...](https://www.davetavres.com/imdb/): I’ve been using this website for looong time… before they were bought out by Amazon.com – before they had “every movie” listed… IMDb – Internet Movie Database is a fantastic tool for anyone who likes movies. There are some awesome features: Create categories to organize movies into – create your own “To Buy”, “To Rent”, “To See” lists Vote (and see your history of votes) on movies (this will also keep track of movies you’ve seen! Comment on movies Great trivia and goofs sections For example, check out … - [Music piracy and government computers...](https://www.davetavres.com/music-piracy-and-government-computers/): I’m not a big music person.  Well… I mean, I don’t buy a lot of CDs.  I’ve got tons of music from CDs I bought years ago, plus plenty of other music, but I think I can understand what people who like music are facing with regard to music piracy issues and CDs. This article about Sony’s most recent attempt to slow CD copying was interesting.  I had no idea that Sony – or any companies – were embedding software on music CDs to keep them from being … - [Should domain name WHOIS info all be public?](https://www.davetavres.com/should-domain-name-whois-info-all-be-public/): I bought my first domain in the early 1990s, when NetworkSolutions was the ONLY company allowed to sell domain names, as they were the only public domain registrar. If I recall correctly, domains were $150 per year. That was a lot of money back then, especially since I was only getting paid $15/hr doing technical support for Internet In A Box. In the early 90s, WHOIS info wasn’t a data mining source, and it wasn’t even something that most people understood. I doubt NetSol even offered a “Keep … - [Old vending machine idea](https://www.davetavres.com/old-vending-machine-idea/): I’ve wanted one of these old cigarette vending machines for years. I remember these as a kid, and there’s something magical about the mechanical pull that dispenses goods. Ideally, I’d like to get one and have it professionally stripped, cleaned, re-painted and have all the mechanicals cleaned up and well-oiled. Then, find an interested business where the machine would stand out and be a point of interest for their customers. Then, I’d like to engage someone like my friend Rick Boxeth and his delicious, hand-made, chocolate covered caramels, … - [Alaskan Farms](https://www.davetavres.com/alaskan-farms/): As I was shopping for a new house, I saw some amazing photos of ‘open-air’ homes. Homes that have giant doors the size of walls that can be opened up and create an amazing open space feeling. I thought about cooling a space that size, and wondering if the right airflow design could keep an ‘open-air’ home cool, even on the hottest days. Being the geek that I am, I suddenly flashed over to server farms, and thought – ‘What if you had an ‘open-air’ server farm in … - [USE A PASSWORD VAULT!](https://www.davetavres.com/use-a-password-vault/): Over the years, I’ve done a lot of technical consulting for individuals and lots of small businesses. The one thing that is almost universal with all of those people is – they don’t use a password vault. But they REALLY need to use one. Why? Because, if someone gets access to their computer, or steals their computer, or hacks it, those people can either lose all of their passwords, or worse, someone can login to many website and do malicious things. (Ya know, log into your bank, transfer … - [DMC California PhotoSpheres](https://www.davetavres.com/dmc-california-photospheres/): This is DMC California – the shop where many Southern California DeLoreans (and beyond) go for maintenance – including DMC #10515. [vrview img=”https://davetavres.com/wp-content/uploads/2016-05-18-12.53.10.jpg”] - [Quora: "What is it like to own and drive a DeLorean?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-what-is-it-like-to-own-and-drive-a-delorean/): Fun. Like many people, I’ve wanted a DeLorean since the late 1980s. Over that time, I studied the car in great detail, joined in online conversations (as early as 1995), and tracked DeLoreans that came up for sale, taking note of the condition, known issues, location and of course, the price. On November 6, 2015, one of my many email alerts paid off, and I bought #10515 (www.DMC10515.com) In the few months that I’ve driven the car (a few times each month), it’s been fun. People smile every … - [Non-lethal take-down tool](https://www.davetavres.com/non-lethal-take-down-tool/): Over the years we’ve seen dozens of videos of crazy, and dangerous people refusing to obey police orders. I remember when I lived in Seattle, a man with a samurai sword stopped traffic for hours in downtown Seattle as dozens and dozens of law enforcement tried many ways to subdue him. Today, we hear more and more about people who want ‘death by cop’ and refuse to put down whatever weapon they have in hand, and ignore police instructions. I’d like to make package an existing product that … - [Seattle Waterfront Handcar](https://www.davetavres.com/seattle-waterfront-handcar/): With the very sad demise of Seattle’s Waterfront Streetcar, and the extremely unlikely chance that it will ever come back, as the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will cause waterfront condo prices to skyrocket, I have an alternate idea to bring a bit of Seattle’s railroad history back to the waterfront. This idea is part history, part touristy. Manually operated handcars along the remaining track along Alaskan Way. Most people don’t know that Alaskan Way use to be the domain of the railroads – in fact, it … - [Cruise ship app](https://www.davetavres.com/cruise-ship-app/): Almost EVERYONE today carries a smartphone. Carnival should create an Android and iOS app that can connect to the ship’s WiFi but can only access the ship. This app can be a way for passengers to communicate with each other, look up show times and schedules, use maps of the ship, request or schedule services and even scan QR codes around the ship that would give them information about where they’re at or what they are seeing. Carnival could also send messages and information to passengers, coordinate disembarking, … - [Uber takes 33%, plus $60/mnth and doesn’t pay tolls](https://www.davetavres.com/uber-takes-33-plus-60mnth-and-doesnt-pay-tolls/): I recently took Uber across a San Francisco bridge, which cost the driver $4 in cash. Cash that I don’t carry. Cash that I can’t add to a tip in the Uber app. I apologized to the driver (he wasn’t upset in the slightest and fully expected to pay the bridge toll.) It surprised me that the Uber app doesn’t recognize that I went through a toll and automatically add it to my fare – especially considering that Uber charges my a ‘safe rider fee’ separately from the … - [Uber’s “Safe Rides” fee is ridiculous](https://www.davetavres.com/ubers-safe-rides-fee-is-ridiculous/): I’m a huge fan of Uber. But, I also know they take a huge percentage of each fare (I’ve heard from Uber drivers as much as 30%.) However, I also understand websites and technology and the costs to run such businesses, so when I see $1.65 fee on top of an $11 fare – of which Uber gets 20-30%, it makes me click on the link next to the ‘Safe Rides Fee’ line item. Here’s their reason for charging that fee: I WAS CHARGED A SAFE RIDES FEE … - [Quora: "What are the Disney movies one should watch before going to Disneyland?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-what-are-the-disney-movies-one-should-watch-before-going-to-disneyland/): Part of the story of Disneyland was that Walt wanted the guests to be the star of the show. That’s why you fly around as Dumbo, rather than just flying around in an ‘airplane’, and why you ride in bobsleds through the Matterhorn, rather than simply running around a welded steel track. When Disneyland opening in 1955, Sleeping Beauty Castle was the central point of the Park – even though Disney’s version of the movie wasn’t even complete. It ‘Sleeping Beauty’ wasn’t released until January 29, 1959 – … - [Call Uber to get a battery jump](https://www.davetavres.com/call-uber-to-get-a-battery-jump/): I recently left my headlights on and killed my car battery. It’s not the first time I’ve done that. That’s why I carry jumper cables in my trunk. Cables are great – when someone will give you a jump. This most recent time was the last straw though… it was 98° in Anaheim and I was on the top-deck of a parking garage at the Anaheim Convention Center. Apparently the Anaheim Convention Center isn’t as concerned with helping guests as Disneyland is… when I asked if they could … - [Will taxis match Uber’s quotes?](https://www.davetavres.com/will-taxis-match-ubers-quotes/): This week I’m planning on stopping by the E3 Expo​. Although I live and work pretty close to the LA Convention Center, the parking is the killer part… so, I thought – oh, Uber​! Then, as I often do, I think about the competing business – taxi companies. Then I thought, “I wonder if taxi companies – or taxi drivers – will match Uber pricing.” If I pull up Uber on my phone, enter a starting point and destination, the Uber app will give me quote. On more … - [Disneyland Wi-Fi](https://www.davetavres.com/disneyland-wi-fi/): Wi-Fi is everywhere now, that’s obvious. You can even get internet access on the plane – for a price. So that’s what’s next for the Happiest Place on Earth – Disneyland. If you’ve been to Disneyland in the past 5 years, you know it’s getting almost impossible to get a good cellular signal where there are upwards of 60,000 in the park. So, just like JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and Virgin America, Disneyland needs to spend the money, install a crazy-powerful wifi setup that covers 100% of Disneyland – … - [My favorite radio shows (May 2015)](https://www.davetavres.com/my-favorite-radio-shows-may-2015/): Here are my favorite radio shows (as of May 2015), with my BIG favorites at the top, then not in any big order: Tested.com / This is only a test – a few San Francisco geek (one hipster… PLEASE Will, get rid of the beard!) with GREAT experience in the technology world, having worked at computer and game magazines. These guys talk about video games, software, mobile devices, websites, movies, music, live shows, quadcopters, travel, food and just tons of stuff. It’s a long show, but I love … - [Why Amazon Prime Air won’t work](https://www.davetavres.com/why-amazon-prime-air-wont-work/): Last year, as the quadcopter fad took off (ahem), Amazon made a fun little video of an Amazon-branded quad that delivering a tool to someone’s home in 30 minutes. It was a joke. Yes, Jeff Bezos has created and built Blue Origin, but that’s a very different thing than RC toys delivering packages. Seriously – IT   WAS   A   JOKE. WHY was/is it a joke? As an RC helicopter “pilot”, I can give you several good reasons why small product delivery via any unmanned aerial vehicle won’t happen in … - [Facebook’s wikipedia spam](https://www.davetavres.com/facebooks-wikipedia-spam/): Facebook is clearly a web super-power, so why do they insist on spamming Facebook with duplicate business pages that business owners can’t claim? The spam I’m talking about are the countless wikipedia pages that were imported a few years ago. wikipedia is notorious for untrustworthy content and endless edit-wars between subject matter experts and wikipedia trolls. NPR even did a story on the edit-wars. So why does Facebook force the content on users? What’s worse than being forced to view garbage content is that these pages can’t be … - [Audio cues in podcasts](https://www.davetavres.com/audio-cues-in-podcasts/): With smartphones being a regular part of most people’s lives and podcasts becoming more popular as in-car entertainment, advertising needs to catch up with the technology a bit. I often hear ads that are interesting enough to want to look up, but if I’m driving I can’t pull up a website or even take a note, so I need to really want to remember what the ad was about to recall it later. So instead, what about an app that would listen for audio cues and pull up … - [Target’s streaming service baits and switches?](https://www.davetavres.com/targets-streaming-service-baits-and-switches/): This evening I rented Atlas Shrugged Part III in HD ($5.99) from Target’s streaming service, “TargetTicket.com”. When I tried to watch it, the only option I got was SD. So… what’s the deal Target? And you can’t give the excuse of ‘oh your download speeds weren’t fast enough’, because the speed test I ran before starting the video shows 108Mbps. FAR more than is needed to stream HD on Netflix even. Bait and switch.   Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who is John Galt? Addendum: I submitted a trouble … - [Kaiser has the worst customer service](https://www.davetavres.com/kaiser-has-the-worst-customer-service/): Kaiser Permanente has given the most frustrating and disappointing service I’ve ever received. And that includes phone and cable companies. I’m a single male, 38-40 years old, with past medical history of diverticulitis, but otherwise no issues. I’m not one of those people who run to the doctor because I have the sniffles or a stomach ache. I don’t go see the doctor because I bumped my elbow and it still hurts after a day. I DO go to the doctor when there’s something wrong. Something that won’t … - [Firearm barcodes](https://www.davetavres.com/firearm-barcodes/): I just noticed that Smith & Wesson is doing 2D Data Matrix barcodes on some of their pistols. As a geek, I find this interesting for a few reasons. First, basic inventory tracking at the factory and second, to help reduce the ability to fake modify gun serial numbers. As with most gun issues, this will have zero impact on criminals. If they want to change a serial number, they’ll spend the time and money to do it – or, they just don’t care and they’ll use a … - [Mobile card readers… for the laptop](https://www.davetavres.com/mobile-card-readers-for-the-laptop/): Mobile phone card readers have become more popular in recent years because they’re small and easy to use for swiping a payment cards while away from a retail location. There are at least half-a-dozen readers out there that you can get for free from the various payment processors. That’s because the readers are extremely inexpensive to produce – and that’s because they are very simple devices. They read the non-encrypted data on the magnetic stripe of your card. The other day I was sitting with a friend who … - [One-click unsubscribe](https://www.davetavres.com/one-click-unsubscribe/): Over the years email spam has gotten better and worse. ‘Better’, in that the “Unsubscribe” link that is required by the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 has made it much easier to stop unwanted email. ‘Worse’, in that more companies/groups around the world can now get your email so much easier than before, so you actually get more junk email than ever before. Another ‘better’ comes in the form of that wonderful “Spam” (or ‘Junk’) button in Gmail and other web-based email systems. When enough people click that button … - [Hotel minimum wage cost cutting](https://www.davetavres.com/hotel-minimum-wage-cost-cutting/): The Los Angeles City Council recently voted to increase the hourly minimum wage to $15.37/hour for hotel workers at hotels with 300 rooms or more. Until today, the minimum wage for LA County was $9/hour. My first thought in reading the headline was – “Okay, so how do you cut costs at hotels?” My solution – cut staff and offer daily discounts to guests who choose not to get a daily cleaning service. I stay at hotels far more often for work than I do for personal travel, … - [Where’s the gas tank?](https://www.davetavres.com/wheres-the-gas-tank/): I don’t know when I learned this trick, but it was many years ago. Have you ever rented or borrowed a car and had to stop for gas, but as you’re driving up to the pump you suddenly realize that you don’t know if the gas tank filler is on the left or right side? I’d say there’s a… 98% chance that has happened to everyone. And with the popularity of the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt, which gives people much longer time between fill-ups, even those car … - [Voting on ads…](https://www.davetavres.com/voting-on-ads/): For several years I’ve felt like there’s something missing from ads – specifically video ads. More specifically, web-based video ads. Voting. We all remember those especially good ads. The kid reading the ingredients on a container of Breyers ice cream; Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” campaign; Connect Four’s “Pretty sneaky sis!”. Of course, those ads were all pre-internet, so the way they rated commercials was by sales and by advertising teams crunching sales numbers. But so many ads are just awful and there’s no way to let … - [Finally dumping GoDaddy… for Google](https://www.davetavres.com/finally-dumping-godaddy-for-google/): GoDaddy has long been a staple in the domain and website hosting market for many years. Over the past many years though, they’ve gotten increasingly worse in customer service and price. There are many alternatives that people are happy with, and I’ve tried many. Several years ago I moved most of my web hosting, and the hosting of most of my clients and friends, off of GoDaddy’s terrible hosting services, but I’ve left domains there. (And so have many others.) Last month I had my final bad experience … - [Small business and technology](https://www.davetavres.com/small-business-and-technology/): I started in the software and technology world in 1995 doing tech-support for a software product called “Internet in a Box”. The job consisted mainly of taking phone calls to help customers who bought the software, to install it on their Windows 3.1 computer, configure their modems, or update their modem strings, to get connected to the Internet. By 1996 the Internet had become more open for the public but it still wasn’t “easy” to get connected. Internet in a Box was revolutionary in the same way TiVo … - [How to stop Smartphone theft…](https://www.davetavres.com/how-to-stop-smartphone-theft/): A recent article on CNET titled “Android, Windows Phone to add kill switch to thwart theft” missed the point on how to actually stop Smartphone theft. The article talks about Google, Microsoft and Apple adding a ‘kill switch’ to phones to "…remove all data and information in the event their devices were stolen." That’s great, but it doesn’t actually stop theft. As an Android user, the ability to remotely find, lock and wipe my phone gives me great confidence that my data is safe(r) than if there were … - [When podcasts go mainstream](https://www.davetavres.com/when-podcasts-go-mainstream/): If you have a car, you have a radio. If you have a radio, you probably listen to music, talk radio, news and/or sports. By the mid-1960s, radios were standard equipment in new cars. Today, it’s almost standard to have a USB or other MP3 player connection – or at least a auxiliary input jack to plug other devices into your car’s sound system. What’s missing though is the digital end-to-end solution that terrestrial radio provides. By that I mean that you turn on your car radio and … - [Hashtag Database](https://www.davetavres.com/hashtag-database/): In 2010 when I first wrote about QR codes, several friends say, ‘nah, they won’t take off’. I’m sure people said the same thing about hashtags. Well, hashtags will soon be included on packaging for major brand products, just like QR codes. #Hashtags are more than common now and there are dozens of websites that promise to give businesses ‘tracking data’ to determine how popular a tag is – in other words, see just how many people passed along the message that was trying to be conveyed. Facebook … - [Google search results fail](https://www.davetavres.com/google-search-results-fail/): Google is now returning search results that are “missing” words you’ve searched for – which is the point of adding words to a search! Years ago, Google allowed the use of operators in search queries. Specifically, the + and – signs. A query with a + sign in front of a word meant that the word MUST be on the page returned in the results. Just as a – sign meant that the word must NOT be in the page returned in the search results. Then Google changed … - [Combine your cash gift cards](https://www.davetavres.com/combine-your-cash-gift-cards/): Over the years I’ve gotten a number of ‘cash’ gift cards (Visa, American Express) which, unlike a store gift card from Starbucks or Target, act like debit cards. They have a cash value that you can use anywhere. What would often happen is, I’d use part of the balance on the card, but leave some remainder. I’d forget about the card or I just didn’t want to deal with using multiple cards when paying for a purchase. Eventually I’d take the card(s) out of my wallet and they’d … - [Netflix bait-and-switch?](https://www.davetavres.com/netflix-bait-and-switch/): I’m a HUGE fan of Netflix. I started with them around 1998, when they only offered DVDs. They were the first major player in what became the streaming video market. Today, I looked up a movie I’ve wanted to see – “Due Date”. When I did the search on Google, the page on the left is what came up… when I hovered over the movie poster, the “Play” icon was displayed, with the text “Start Your Free Trial to Watch”. Once I signed in, I went to play … - [A new search box trend](https://www.davetavres.com/a-new-search-box-trend/): Recently I’ve seen several websites that are ‘hiding’ the site search functionality. I don’t understand why… and I don’t like it. It’s hard enough to find what you’re looking for in a lot of modern navigation bars. Now with just a search ‘icon’, it makes it even harder to find. Here’s two of the many examples I’ve seen lately: Rally Software DealNews.com I think it’s much easier to quickly scan for that search text field – everyone is use to it, it’s easier to find than a single … - [Another reason to use Google Voice](https://www.davetavres.com/another-reason-to-use-google-voice/): I’ve been on Google Voice for several years, though I only fully committed to it about 3 years ago. “Fully” meaning that I changed my phone number everywhere and started telling friends and family to stop using the ‘physical’ number attached to the mobile. For those who haven’t used/heard of Voice, the basic idea is this – one number for everything. If you call me (my Google Voice number), my home, work, mobile phone and even my computer will all ring at the same time. So no more … - [Amazon Locker… fail](https://www.davetavres.com/amazon-locker-fail/): A few years ago Amazon came up with a fantastic idea of putting banks of locker (like those you use to see at airports, train and bus stations) at convenient locations in bigger cities. My preferred Amazon Locker is located inside of an Albertson’s grocery store. This is good for me and Albertson’s, as I always buy a few more items from the store when I’m picking up an Amazon order. The magic of the Amazon Locker comes in your email in the form of an access code … - [Delete a single URL from your Chrome history](https://www.davetavres.com/delete-a-single-url-from-your-chrome-history/): Have you ever mis-typed a web address only to have that stupid URL come back every time you start to type the correct address? You’d like to be able to type just a few letters, then when the right page ‘auto-completes’, just hit ENTER to go there? Yeah – but that doesn’t work if you fat-fingered the 8th letter… so then you have to use the down arrow key or grab the mouse and click the right one (or just keep typing the whole thing!) Here’s a tip … - [Thanks, Dave](https://www.davetavres.com/thanks-dave/): In the era of text messages, email and online profiles, all of our communications are automatically tagged with our identities. Whether by a phone number, or more likely a name programmed into a device that corresponds to a phone number, a name attached to an email account or a name, photo and an ‘About’ page that tells your friends more information about you than most of them know anyway, most communication we have with others in this digital life has been pre-announced, announced and probably even preconceived. So … - [EZQuickOrder mobile app](https://www.davetavres.com/ezquickorder-mobile-app/): If you’ve been to Qdoba, Chipotle, McDonald’s or ANY food location at Disneyland, there’s a good chance you’ve stood in line for at least several minutes waiting to order. Usually you use that wait time to study the menu and get everyone’s orders figured out. Imagine a big QR code around the entrance or line for the restaurant you’re waiting at, suggesting that you pre-build your order. The customer scans the code, which takes them to a simplified mobile version of the restaurant’s menu, with the instructions to … - [Linkedin – to connect or not connect](https://www.davetavres.com/linkedin-to-connect-or-not-connect/): I’ve been on Linkedin for many years (My KeePass password safe tells me I created a password entry on October 14, 2006.) I’ve been on Facebook almost as long. In my mind, they serve two very different purposes: Facebook is the ever-present “social networking” platform, while Linkedin is the BUSINESS networking platform. I distinguish them that way for a specific reason… I don’t want “friends” on my Linkedin account… and I don’t necessarily want business connections on my Facebook account. It’s same reason I use the post privacy … - [Amazon feature idea… Gift contributions](https://www.davetavres.com/amazon-feature-idea-gift-contributions/): Scenario: A good friend has mentioned several times that they REALLY like that set of high-end speakers, but they just don’t want to spend $300+, plus they don’t really need them – but they’d still like them. At the same time, you don’t want to spend $300 on a gift for your good friend. So, what do you do? Maybe you know some of their family members or their other friends and maybe you can get them to chip in on buying this great gift. Maybe. Even then, … - [Microsoft Stores – Have some stock!](https://www.davetavres.com/microsoft-stores-have-some-stock/): If you’re Home Depot or Best Buy, I can understand running out of stock on items. It happens. Businesses can only carry so much debt when ordering products from suppliers. It’s understandable that Best Buy might only have 50 iPad 2’s in stock at a given store. Home Depot could run out of 3/4 in. HD Maple Plywood, as they only order it once every 6 months and don’t sell much of it. Let’s look at the Apple Store. Sure, Apple only makes and sells about 50 products, … - [Limit orders for eCommerce?](https://www.davetavres.com/limit-orders-for-ecommerce/): In the stock market you can create ‘buy orders’ (also called “limit orders”) which allow a trader to set an automatic ‘rule’ to buy (or sell) a stock when it reaches a specific price. So why not have that feature on Amazon, JCPenny, Staples, Sony – or a 3rd party site that will do the buying for you? Imagine you want that SuperTooth Disco High Power Bluetooth Stereo Speaker, but you just aren’t willing to pay $103.81 for it… but you WOULD pay $85. Sure, you can shop … - [Bodie Foundation fundraising idea](https://www.davetavres.com/bodie-foundation-fundraising-idea/): The Bodie Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that helps Bodie, California. As a California State Park, Bodie just doesn’t get enough financial support to properly and effectively keep this historical gem in tact. Over the past 20 years State funding has drastically declined and the need for donations has become a requirement just to keep the park open. Several times in recent years Bodie has been on the ‘closure list’ – a list of State Parks that would be temporarily shuttered in an effort to reduce costs … - [Another Disneyland “experience” idea](https://www.davetavres.com/another-disneyland-experience/): One of Disney’s recent business plans is about selling “experiences.” Experiences like buying a guided tour and getting to walk through Walt Disney’s Apartment. Or having lunch at Club 33. So, here’s another “experience” that Disney can offer… Everyone loves trains… Even Walt Disney loved trains… and everyone REALLY loves Disneyland trains. A fantastic “experience” that would quickly sell out would be the chance to pump the Kalamazoo hand car ALL the way around the park, starting and ending at the New Orleans Square station. At each end … - [Retail businesses and their websites…](https://www.davetavres.com/retail-businesses-and-their-websites/): Over the years I’ve help a lot of small business owners get their web presence started. One of the biggest mistakes those business owners have been to setup a website with too much of a focus on “timely” content. When writing the content for a website, and more specifically a retail business, it’s important to write generically enough that your site doesn’t look old and outdated in a few months. Using phrases like “We’ve been a leader in water filtration and purification for the past 2 years” means … - [Minimal shipping option for Amazon](https://www.davetavres.com/minimal-shipping-option-for-amazon/): I love Amazon.com (as many do), but I’ve been bothered for several years at the incredible waste from their shipping packaging. Now, I’m no tree-hugger, but I am a business person and it’s easy to deduce that there’s a significant cost to the boxes and packing paper and air-bags that get put in almost every box. Not to mention the cost of shipping a larger item. Every year Amazon ships tens of millions of packages – some big, some small… this idea is focused on the small items … - [No NFC support at Best Buy?](https://www.davetavres.com/no-nfc-support-at-best-buy/): I recently got my Google Nexus 4 phone which supports NFC (Near Field Communications – a wireless technology that allows you to hold your phone up to other devices and pass information back and forth.) One of the features I’ve been looking forward to using in the past year is the ability to pay for purchases using an NFC phone. Basically, that means you don’t have to swipe your credit card, you just pass your phone over a credit card terminal and your credit card gets charged. Apparently … - [Google Nexus 4… speaker design](https://www.davetavres.com/google-nexus-4-speaker-design/): I just got the Google Nexus 4 and I’m liking it so far, but one of the first things I noticed was the odd/bad design for the speaker. When you play music or use the speaker phone, it can be assumed that many people will lay the phone flat on a desk/table/flat surface. When you do that, with the speaker hole being flat as well, the sound is basically blocked by the flat surface, which gives a very muffled sound. As soon as you lift up on the … - [Pressure based brake lights](https://www.davetavres.com/pressure-based-brake-lights/): Driving on the freeway the other day, at a safe distance for 65mph, I looked at the traffic on the other side for a moment and was startled when I looked back and the driver in front of me had jammed on the brakes and stopped MUCH faster than I anticipated. Again, I was far enough behind that I could still safely stop, but I was hoping that the car behind ME was paying attention and not driving too closely. That’s when I thought – why don’t brake … - [Freeway overpass advertising](https://www.davetavres.com/freeway-overpass-advertising/): Many years ago, I was driving on the freeway and suddenly pictured a simple way for States to make money – without raising taxes! Selling ad space on overpasses. In today’s economic climate, governments need to stop taxing and start cutting – but if they MUST make more money, I don’t see any good reason why they can’t use some of the space that we all pay for as taxpayers, to help reduce the tax burden. There’s a huge number of “blank” freeway overpasses that are perfect canvases … - [Interactive Movies…](https://www.davetavres.com/interactive-movies/): In the 1950s there were 3D movies, Smell-O-Vision theaters and CinemaScope. The fad of 3D movies has come back around in the past few years, but I suspect it will go away again. So, what’s a new fad that has yet to come around? How about interactive movies? That is, mobile-enabled films… Movie theaters are using ultra-high-end digital projectors more and more these days. Those projectors are connected to hard drives. Those hard drives are connected to the internet. That means it would be pretty easy to deliver … - [Mobile phone apps and security](https://www.davetavres.com/mobile-phone-apps-and-security/): People love their smartphones these days… and with good reason. They can be amazing tools for business and fun distractions from the mundane parts of life – like standing in line at the post office or waiting to be picked up from the airport. There’s a problem though. Those fun and handy apps can be setting you up for embarrassment, failure or good ol’ fashioned identity theft. If you saw the movie “Live Free or Die Hard”, you’ll recall the premise that one bad guy who sold software … - [Social marketing and the small business…](https://www.davetavres.com/social-marketing-and-the-small-business/): It’s been a good five years since “social marketing” really took off in a big way. Big, no HUGE corporations use it in one way or another. It likely doesn’t help their bottom line, but Coca-Cola, Microsoft, NASA, General Electric and even Yahoo and Google use Facebook. So WHY don’t small businesses who actually NEED the help? The simple answer is: knowledge. Most (not all) small business owners are intelligent go-getters who want to succeed in their chosen area of commerce. Those in the retail sector should be … - [A Password Safe for All](https://www.davetavres.com/a-password-safe-for-all/): Everything now has a password. I may have started when the first answering machines came out that let you call home and get your messages remotely. You would call your number and when the message came on you could hit a key which would prompt you for your passcode then listen to the messages people left for you. Since then passwords have gone crazy. Every website needs not just a password, but also a username. Some people have tricks to remember what their login info is, but most … - [GPS lessons](https://www.davetavres.com/gps-lessons/): GPS devices are more popular than ever – whether it’s the GPS driven map in your mobile phone or the one built in to your dashboard or the one suction-cupped to your windshield. The good thing about GPS units is that it makes it quick and easy to get just about anywhere. The bad thing is we’re becoming more and more dependent on them and in a short time, most people won’t know how to read a map or give good directions. In any case, GPS units are … - [System Restore – use it.](https://www.davetavres.com/system-restore-use-it/): When "System Restore" was added to Windows XP, it changed the life of a lot of computer geeks – and their clients. The ability to ‘roll-back’ a computer to a point in time prior to a virus/malware or just a bad install of a piece of software made for a MUCH easier and quicker solution than reformatting a hard drive. System Restore works 98% of the time. The other 2% is left to those really nasty viruses that have figured out how to corrupt or remove the restore … - [Photo search](https://www.davetavres.com/photo-search/): I collect FAR too many photos from the web… stuff I find interesting or of my favorites topics like Bodie, Walt Disney’s apartment, the Disneyland Railroad, history or movie and TV filming locations. Sometimes I get an email or see a photo that has no description or information, which used to make it nearly impossible to figure out what the photo is, or where it was taken. Well, Google has done it again. Their "Search by image" feature lets you find that image, or similar ones, without having … - [Block domains from Google search results](https://www.davetavres.com/block-domains-from-google-search-results/): If you have a Google / Gmail account and stay logged in, Google has provided a fantastic tool for blocking those websites or domains that never return anything good or trustworthy. Just follow these steps: Go to www.Google.com. Click the "Sign in" button at the top-right corner and sign in with your account. Go to http://www.google.com/reviews/t?hl=en In the first box, enter: http://wikipedia.org In the second box, enter your reason for blocking the site. Click the "Block site" button. Within a few hours no Wikipedia results will show up … - [Goodbye Internet Explorer](https://www.davetavres.com/goodbye-internet-explorer/): My first job at Microsoft was working on Internet Explorer 4. Prior to that I had done technical support at Spry for their "Internet In A Box" product (before CompuServe bought them). Back then I used a flavor of the Mosaic browser (as did most everyone) and was pretty happy. IE4 was a dramatic change – and I say that as someone who was an expert at the time. It was faster, had more features and was an amazing piece of software. Since 1996 I have tried all … - [Disneyland Outdoor Movie Nights](https://www.davetavres.com/disneyland-outdoor-movie-night/): Several years ago I put together a plan to play movies outdoors at Walt Disney’s Barn. It was a great success. People love coming out and watching movies in a large group, especially when it’s a Disney-related movie. Late last year I was talking to a friend who works at Disneyland and suggested that they do something similar. The Mickey and Friends Parking structure is a huge, multi-level parking lot with an open lot next to it call the Pinocchio lot. This is my proposed area to do … - [Job matching business idea…](https://www.davetavres.com/job-matching-business-idea/): Before the mid-1990s people use to search for jobs by opening a newspaper, going to an unemployment office, talking with friends and associates or just walking into a company and asking if they were hiring. That process was still considered normal until the early 2000s, even though Monster.com, HotJobs.com, CareerBuilder.com and dozens of other job search engines came into existence. For a few short years newspapers moved their classified jobs sections to their websites, but it became so cumbersome that even they turned over that work to the … - [BEWARE - Domain Registry of America](https://www.davetavres.com/beware-domain-registry-of-america/): One of the biggest scams perpetrated on American internet business users is the “Domain Registry of America”. This company sends out printed letters to anyone who is registered as a domain name owner, telling them that their domain name is about to expire. The problem is – this isn’t the company many people have registered the domain through. The ‘scam’ part of this is that most business users of the internet just aren’t tech-savvy enough to be able to spot a fraud like this, and they end up … - [Disneyland Christmas Train idea…](https://www.davetavres.com/disneyland-christmas-train-idea/): As a former engineer on the Disneyland Railroad, it should be obvious that I love trains – small and large. I’m also a huge Disneyland and Walt Disney fan. I’ve talked about this idea for several years, but never wrote it down. The popularity of Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World Holiday” and “Haunted Mansion Holiday” has grown tremendously since they started, and guests sometimes come to the park just to see the make-overs of those attractions. “It’s a Small World Holiday” is such a draw that one of … - [Facebook feature idea: Check Ins](https://www.davetavres.com/facebook-feature-idea-check-ins/): Facebook has done a good job of letting people “Check In” at businesses with Facebook Places. Aside from seeing if friends are at the same location or even nearby, it’s a great opportunity for businesses to connect with current or potential customers. There is one feature that’s missing though… allowing people to “Check In” to movies and TV shows. Currently, a person can only check in to a business that has an address or location. The GPS functionality in the phone keeps people from randomly checking in to … - [Disney on Facebook](https://www.davetavres.com/disney-on-facebook/): Years ago when I worked at Bing.com, I got frustrated at Microsoft for not taking advantage of social marketing and not making it easy for their customers to find their products in the “social world”. Specifically, almost none of their product websites had social media icons that would allow consumers to find THE official pages for Microsoft’s various products. See my post titled “Zune on Facebook”. I see the same issue today with Disney. They have a TREMENDOUS following, with amazing potential for reaching out to fans (consumers, … - [Groupon feature idea…](https://www.davetavres.com/groupon-feature-idea/): Hey Groupon – here’s a feature idea for you, if for some reason it isn’t already on your list… Create a “Watch list” for products. There’s already a “Follow” feature to follow specific companies to see what deals they have, but that excites me less than if I’m looking for a deal on a certain product in the future. Google Alerts lets me keep an eye out for words and phrases that I’m interested in, and sends me a message when that item gets indexed in their search … - [FW: Idea for Bing Search for more clicks...](https://www.davetavres.com/fw-idea-for-bing-search-for-more-clicks/): I finally noticed last night that a feature idea I proposed in an email on October 20, 2009 while I was working at Bing.com finally made it to the web on May 17, 2011. I had sent the email below to one of my ‘bosses’ at Bing as a feature idea to add a Facebook icon to the Bing.com homepage, since the background image changed daily. In October 2009, there was no “Like” button that could be put on external websites, so the Facebook icon was all that … - [Microsoft OneNote – here to stay?](https://www.davetavres.com/microsoft-onenote-here-to-stay/): We all know about (and have probably used) Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Outlook. What about Microsoft OneNote? OneNote has been around since about 2003 – and it seems like a good idea; one file (notebook) that has several “tabs” where you can paste pictures, charts, other document, freehand draw (if you have a tablet PC), link to other content and generally just keep track of any bit of information for a specific subject. Especially useful is the ability to move chunks of information around … - [Facebook crashing on your Android phone after updating the Facebook app? Try this...](https://www.davetavres.com/facebook-crashing-on-your-android-phone-after-updating-the-facebook-app-try-this/): Facebook crashing on your Android phone after updating the Facebook app? Try this: On your PC, go to www.Facebook.com From the top-right menu, click "Account". Click "Privacy Settings". At the bottom-left corner under "Apps and Websites", click "Edit your settings". In the "Apps you use" section, click the "Edit Settings" button (on the right). Find the "HTC Sense" (or other Facebook) application(s) and click the little "x" to the right to remove the application. Launch (or reinstall) the Facebook application/updates and re-login via the Facebook App on your … - [Netflix to lose business to Redbox](https://www.davetavres.com/netflix-to-lose-business-to-redbox/): Netflix just announced that they’re raising prices again. It seems that they are trying to phase out DVDs for streaming. Of course, discs ARE dead, but they aren’t quite gone yet. And that includes Blu-ray. (That’s part of why the studios are pushing Blu-ray sales so hard right now, because they know it’s got a short sales-life.) Even with that in mind, I’ll say that Redbox has a good shot coming up here very soon… I was a big fan of Redbox when they first started, and rented … - [Netflix feature idea…](https://www.davetavres.com/netflix-feature-idea/): If you use Netflix, you know how great it is… but it’s missing a very important element – social networking. If Netflix would just add the ability to build a “friends” list, then allow users to “suggest” videos to those friends, they could generate a lot more interaction of their service. Friends list Just like other social networking sites, allow users to search for friends by email address or username. Once the request is sent, the user on the other side can accept or ignore the request. The … - [PodNet](https://www.davetavres.com/podnet/): As an avid podcast listener and business & technology fan, I began developing this idea a few years ago. I’ve called it "PodNet", short for Podcast Network. Here’s the quick-version of what it is; Combine the old Napster / file sharing idea with an affiliate program and the SETI program. There are a few pieces to the plan, but for those who don’t understand how podcasts work in general, here are simplified explanations for how a content consumer and a content creator use podcasts: Note: A podcast is … - [Mobile data throughput – agency or application?](https://www.davetavres.com/mobile-data-throughput-agency-or-application/): I’m no fan of “big government”, but I do like the idea of a government agency monitoring, reporting and holding accountable any company that sell products or services based on measurements – or an application that can do the same thing. In California there’s an agency called the “Office of Weights and Measures”. They make sure that 1 gallon of gas at the pump is actually 1 gallon – and that is actually costs what the posted price says it does; They also make sure that a grocery … - [Smartphone / Android / iPhone Game Cradle...](https://www.davetavres.com/smartphone-android-iphone-game-cradle/): As I’ve been doing some software testing using PSPs lately, an idea hit me… What if there was a game cradle for Android and iPhones that had buttons and a joystick and other game controls? A quick mock-up of what the Smartphone Game Cradle could look like I’m not a gamer myself, and I don’t play games on my Android phone, but I see a lot of people doing it, so it seems like it could be a good idea. Both Android and iPhones support Bluetooth connectivity, so … - [Streaming media and home entertainment...](https://www.davetavres.com/streaming-media-and-home-entertainment/): I’ve recently helped a few friends get setup with "media centers" as their home entertainment systems. They’ve all been centered around using a small form-factor computer to ‘power’ things, and central to that is Microsoft’s Windows 7 and Windows Media Center. I was lucky enough to be a software tester at Microsoft around 2001 testing the first version of Window Media Center Edition (MCE) and it was exciting back then. It’s now been 10 years – and it still hasn’t caught on. But, I’m confident that’s about to … - [Facebook privacy... IT'S THERE AND IT'S GOOD!](https://www.davetavres.com/facebook-privacy-its-there-and-its-good/): I can’t take it anymore… I keep hearing people talking about how Facebook is "sharing all your information" or why they closed their account because it’s not private or how unsafe it is… Facebook’s privacy settings are GOOD! There’s LOTS of options that have been there for a LONG TIME. But, typical of a lot of web users, they don’t READ. Yes, READING is an important part of using the web. Especially if someone is going to complain or cry "foul!" My Facebook profile is pretty open. I … - [Microsoft Live ID system fails again...](https://www.davetavres.com/microsoft-live-id-system-fails-again/): About a year and a half ago, I wanted to transfer my XBox achievements and credits to my primary Microsoft Live ID account. Sadly, I was told that it was impossible. About a year after my frustration with the XBox Live ID issue, I decided to spend more time using my Microsoft Zune player. When I first got it (about about two years earlier,) I was required to sign in with a Microsoft Live ID to track my music purchases and plays. But now, I wasn’t using that … - [Zune on Facebook](https://www.davetavres.com/zune-on-facebook/): In January 2010, I spent far too much time trying to find the "Official" Zune Facebook fan page. There were three Fan pages, two of which had almost 30,000 fans. However, I wanted to be join the official Microsoft owned/run/sponsored Fan page. Sadly, there was no way to tell which of the three was created by Microsoft. I had been a fan of the two larger fan pages, but they had pretty much stagnated at 25-30k fans for many months. So, while I was working at Microsoft, I … - [Google's 'Sidewiki' feature...](https://www.davetavres.com/googles-sidewiki-feature/): Back in the mid-1990’s when I was working on the MSN Engineering team at Microsoft, one of the projects we started to work on was a tool that would allow people to post comments about web pages "on" the webpage. That is, it was a feature in Internet Explorer very similar to the "Comment" feature in Microsoft Word. As with far too many Microsoft products, they started it, then shelved it. I was really excited about it back then because of the great potential for true customer service … - [Will Windows Vista be the next Windows Me?](https://www.davetavres.com/will-windows-vista-be-the-next-windows-me/): For those who even remember it, Windows Me (Millennium Edition) was a stinker. Even internally at Microsoft no one (at least the people I worked with on various engineering teams) liked it. There’s plenty of websites dedicated to why it was a stinker, so I don’t need to go into those details. But, with Windows Vista, there was a lot of the same vibes… which made me think, will Vista be the next ‘Me’? Like with ‘Win Me’, Vista was plagued with issues of all kinds, but the … - [PLEASE help me find a MS Laser Mouse 6000 (NOT wireless!!)](https://www.davetavres.com/please-help-me-find-a-ms-laser-mouse-6000-not-wireless/): Yes, I’m particular… but I LOVE the Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 USB WIRED mouse. But, Microsoft has quit selling it! :( I use the wheel mouse a lot, but mine has been acting up for well over a year now, and it’s driving me a bit nuts. I’ve taken it apart several times and cleaned it, but it’s a mechanism problem, not dirt. I love it because it’s a 5-button mouse, and since I do so much on the web, I use the side buttons for "back" and … - [2D barcodes, winners and losers](https://www.davetavres.com/2d-barcodes-winners-and-losers/): Although 2D barcodes (also called QR codes – short for Quick Response) aren’t new, but they still haven’t caught on in the US. I’ve been asked by a lot of people “What is that?” when they see a QR code. To answer those people, they are postage stamp size or larger mathematical image that smartphones (with a high enough resolution camera) can read and convert to characters. Those characters can be a web address or a block of text or just about any input that a smartphone can … - [Why doesn't YouTube have a charge-for-play model?](https://www.davetavres.com/why-doesnt-youtube-have-a-charge-for-play-model/): I’ve been saying for quite a while that YouTube should have a “charge-for-play” model, where they get a cut of each transaction… just like PayPal or eBay or Amazon or any number of other companies… Yes, I know they are working on the advertising model, but it would be so easy for them to put together a package for content creators who want to SELL their videos to consumers. There are plenty of content creators out there who would LOVE to have a charge model via YouTube. No, … - [How to disable the UAC Prompt for a specific application: (Windows 7)](https://www.davetavres.com/how-to-disable-the-uac-prompt-for-a-specific-application-windows-7/): Open the Task scheduler. Right click on the "Task Scheduler Library" and create a new folder called "myTasks". Right click on the "myTasks" folder and select "Create Task…" (not "Create Basic Task…") Enter a name for the task (I always name them "autoElevatePROGRAMNAME". (i.e. "autoElevateProcessExplorer") Check the "Run with highest privileges" checkbox at the BOTTOM of the window. Click the "Actions" tab at the top. Click the "New…" button, and browse and select the ".exe" that you want to run with elevated permissions. Click "OK" to create the … - [Spell-check...](https://www.davetavres.com/spell-check/): I suspect that most people, like myself, use spell-check for emails and documents. Obviously it’s a great tool, but I find that about 50% of the time, I’m misspelling the same words! I’m a pretty good typist, so it’s not misspelling due to speed, it’s just that my brain is trained incorrectly. So, Microsoft, here’s a suggestion that you may add/include, FREE OF CHARGE OR CREDIT: the "Teaching spellchecker". It works pretty simply – whenever you run spell check, it keeps track of the words that are misspelled, … - [How to compress Virtual PC virtual hard disks (.VHDs)](https://www.davetavres.com/how-to-compress-virtual-pc-virtual-hard-disks-vhds/): Clear out the machine of filler I recommend installing CCLEANER.EXE from http://ccleaner.com which deletes all temporary files from the Windows installation, Internet Explorer cache, the Recycle Bin, and any number of other "garbage"/"temp" directories in the VPC. Disable hibernation If you have hiberation turned on, there’s a colossal sized file called hiberfil.sys in the root of the .VHD.  Go into Power options in Control Panel and disable hiberation to get rid of this file. Capture the Virtual Disk Precompactor .ISO In the menu of Virtual PC windows for … - [Change your password - Microsoft Passport / Live ID / Hotmail breach...](https://www.davetavres.com/change-your-password-microsoft-passport-live-id-hotmail-breach/): Around October 1, 2009, about 10,000 Microsoft Passport / Live ID / Hotmail username/passwords were posted to the web by a hacker who got the information from "phishing" emails. "Phishing" is a VERY low-tech way of getting people’s usernames and passwords – they ask you for it. Yeah – seriously. When you get an email from your bank or hotmail account (or just about any site that uses a username/password) that asks you to confirm your username and password via email, you can be SURE it is a … - [FREE Antivirus software from Microsoft](https://www.davetavres.com/free-antivirus-software-from-microsoft/): After many years of dealing with viruses, spyware and ‘malware’, Microsoft has finally released “Microsoft Security Essentials” (MSE), a FREE antivirus/antispyware/antimalware software! I ran the beta since the first day it was release on XP, Vista and Windows 7 machines, and it’s done a superb job. It even caught random trojan horse spyware on websites and files downloaded from the web. I’ve pushed NOD32 for several years because I liked how thin/simple the software was when installed. Like MSE, NOD32 focused on JUST doing it’s job of watching … - [Hiding those (sometimes) annoying “news” items on Facebook…](https://www.davetavres.com/hiding-those-sometimes-annoying-news-items-on-facebook/): I’ll admit it – I’m a 100% Facebook addict. Well, okay, not 100% – but with regard to the overall system and features, I’m totally there. However, there are a few things that drive (or drove) me crazy. Well, I’m not against anyone who loves the cutesie little games and quizzes, but there are several I just don’t want to see anymore. And when you’ve got a friend who do you like – but can’t stand their posts or social agenda (you know who you are) – rather … - [Microsoft finally working on a FREE virus scanner…](https://www.davetavres.com/microsoft-finally-working-on-a-free-virus-scanner/): In November 2008, Microsoft finally announced that they are going to release a FREE anti-virus scanner for Windows. Currently, it’s called ‘Morro’ (possibly after the Morro Castle – “El Morro Castle, or El Castillo Del Morro, is an old fort that lies on the northernmost point of San Juan, Puerto Rico. For many years, it guarded the entrance to San Juan bay, and defended the city from seaborne enemies.” –knowledgerush) The new anti-virus software will replace the old ‘Windows Live OneCare’ product that seemed to sputter out. The … - [Most popular movies based on ticket sales...](https://www.davetavres.com/most-popular-movies-based-on-ticket-sales/): For years, I’ve been bugged the the claim of a movie being the “top grossing film of all time”. The problem is – ticket prices have changed through time, so it’s not really about how much money was made, but more about how many tickets were sold. So, I built this spreadsheet using the “All-Time USA Box office” grosses from IMDB, and the average ticket prices (ATP) from the National Association of Theatre Owners website. Then, dividing the Gross by the ATP gives the number of tickets sold … - [Historic 'micro-blogging'! Secret inscription in Lincoln's watch...](https://www.davetavres.com/historic-micro-blogging-secret-inscription-in-lincolns-watch/): Wow!! How exciting, that a watchmaker made a ‘micro-blog’ in 1861 on the INSIDE of President Lincoln’s pocket watch! Of course I’m joking about the ‘micro-blog’, but it really did make me think about how people are posting on Facebook and Twitter so much. Unlike most of those pointless ‘posts’, THIS was something worth "Twittering"! Here’s the text of the Reuters article: WASHINGTON (Reuters) Mar 11, 2009 – A gold watch owned by Abraham Lincoln bears a message marking the start of the U.S. Civil War, but the … - [Microsoft Tag... and other new things...](https://www.davetavres.com/microsoft-tag-and-other-new-things/): As a geek, I love seeing, reading and trying new technology. Google has made their ‘Google Labs‘ known for several years, and has done a good job of posting the stuff they’re working on. Some cool, some not. That’s part of new ideas… As a wanna-be ‘technical evangelist’, I like to see what Microsoft is doing, and how I can use and promote it. The problem is – Microsoft makes it hard to know what their working on! Microsoft created their ‘Live Labs‘ site as a response to … - [Home windmills...](https://www.davetavres.com/home-windmills/): Several years ago when the big talk about ‘clean energy’ was hydrogen fuel cells, and more specifically trying to put those cells in cars, I was surprised that the focus was on cars rather than the engine itself. I recall the biggest problem being that "they" were having a hard time making the hydrogen engine small enough to fit in a car – not – that they couldn’t build the engine. So, what if each home had an air-conditioning size (or even car sized) hydrogen fuel-cell engine installed … - [Google releasing specific household searches in court...](https://www.davetavres.com/google-releasing-specific-household-searches-in-court/): Wow… Google released queries made from a specific household in a court case. Now, the case is pretty horrible, but that’s not the point – the fact the Google HAS the data to share is what’s disturbing. The fact that they can share with the courts what day and what HOUSEHOLD made SPECIFIC SEARCHES is the issue. WHY does Google save the IP address?! There’s NO reason for that. Oh… for tracking purposes so they can sell targeted advertising? No. Oh… for making their product better by analyzing … - [SmoothHD.com](https://www.davetavres.com/smoothhd-com/): Microsoft does it again… www.SmoothHD.com is a demo of streaming hi-definition video. They have several samples, and it’s pretty amazing. At full screen, the video looks fantastic on a big monitor, and I’m really blown away. - [UPS.com feature request...](https://www.davetavres.com/ups-com-feature-request/): Almost every time I’ve gotten shipments via UPS, I’ve missed the delivery. The nice thing is that I generally know that the driver shows up about 6pm. But, that hasn’t helped me. What’s nice, is that I can log onto the UPS website to track the package, and I can see that a package has been picked up, then that it’s in Georgia, then that it’s been scanned in Sacramento, etc.  What isn’t helpful, is that once I can see WHEN the package will be delivered, there’s no … - [Microsoft Removed Desktop Office Apps From Its Free Nonprofit Grant - and That is Disappointing](https://www.davetavres.com/microsoft-removed-desktop-office-apps-from-its-free-nonprofit-grant-and-that-is-disappointing/): For years, Microsoft’s nonprofit program gave a wonderful benefit – free Microsoft Office licenses for up to 10 users. For the nonprofits I help, it’s been a huge benefit to give volunteers and employees access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and the other Microsoft Office applications. (Although Google Workplace is superior, it’s hard to break people’s old habits of using Microsoft.) Sadly, Microsoft discontinued the license grant for nonprofits to get free licenses for Microsoft Office. Nonprofits can still receive the “Microsoft 365 Business Basic” for free, but … - [Google Rail View](https://www.davetavres.com/google-rail-view/): I love Google Maps, and especially Google Street View. I use it a lot. Not just for directions, but to understand places, and especially for looking up history. Where is that building? What was there before? How has it changed? Where was that movie location filmed? Street View is one of those tools that still feels like magic, even though most people take it for granted now. You can drop onto almost any road in the world and look around as if you’re standing there. That can be … - [Don't Trust Freshdesk / Freshworks](https://www.davetavres.com/dont-trust-freshdesk-freshworks/): Freshdesk / Freshworks turned what should have been a simple account issue, into a typically frustrating and terrible customer service experience. What’s worse, it was over customer service software! Until last week, I had used the free version of Freshdesk for roughly 10 years for my small business. Yes, I got my money’s worth… then, with no warning – no emails, no notifications on the website – nothing I could find, the free account was shut off without notice. Freshworks claims they sent an email saying the free … - [2028 Walt Disney Stamp Reissue Campaign](https://www.davetavres.com/2028-walt-disney-stamp-reissue-campaign/): The original Walt Disney stamp was issued September 11, 1968, with first-day ceremonies right here in Marceline. USPS has now shown that stamp reissues can happen. USPS just announced that the 2018 Mister Rogers Forever stamp will be reissued on June 1, 2026. Of course, this doesn’t mean they would reissue the Walt Disney stamp, but it proves they are willing to bring back a past design under the right program. The attached letter to USPS from Marceline requests a reissue of the 1968 Walt Disney commemorative stamp, … - [Own Your Online Content - Don't Trust Platforms](https://www.davetavres.com/own-your-online-content-dont-trust-platforms/): TLDR: Social platforms should be used to amplify your presence, not define it. When you own your domain and your content, you’re no longer at the mercy of arbitrary censorship. You’re building your brand, and something that can last. For many people / content creators and businesses today, they think “social media” IS the internet. They are mistaken. They think facebook pages replace websites, and instagram profiles are portfolios. LinkedIn acts as resume (now with more spam than ever before.) People and businesses put almost all of their … - [Facebook tells popular 80s tribute band The Deloreans to ‘beat it’](https://www.davetavres.com/facebook-tells-popular-80s-tribute-band-the-deloreans-to-beat-it/): HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — The Deloreans, an 80s tribute band that frequently performs in the Hampton Roads region, is in the middle of a battle with Facebook, which has told them to “beat it” from the platform. The Deloreans told 10 On Your Side they wish they could turn back time to when they had a functioning Facebook page with nearly 35,000 followers. It was how fans connected to them and each other, and it was the way businesses tagged them to get the word out about … - ["No Meetings"? Or, Can You Be More Efficient?](https://www.davetavres.com/no-meetings-or-can-you-be-more-efficient/): In the late 20-teens, there was buzz around Elon Musk’s idea of “no meetings” – although that was apparently not his words. Instead, he (did? does?) pushed fewer meetings, that are shorter, and are moderated/facilitated more more aggressively. Meaning – when you’re done, be done. It reminds me of some conferences I went to that used “Open Space Technology“. And I know I got more out of those sessions than all other business conferences I’ve been to before. Musk’s rules for better meetings: These ideas are meant to … - [Small Gestures for Remote Employees](https://www.davetavres.com/small-gestures-for-remote-employees/): In 2025, most jobs are all about producing ‘work product’ and just getting things done. What makes it worse is ‘remote’ workers. You can’t have a fridge stocked with sodas or snacks in the kitchenette for everyone. In the 1970s, Publisher’s Clearing House put fresh cut flowers on every employee’s desk – every Monday. Even when they got up to 1,000 employees. That small and relatively inexpensive gesture (per employee) likely made everyone feel like mom or your wife might feel if you brought them flowers on a … - [WordPress Doesn't Want Honest Reviews](https://www.davetavres.com/wordpress-doesnt-want-honest-reviews/): WordPress (Automattic) has blocked and banned me before for writing reviews that weren’t positive about a plugin or theme. (Kinda sounds like fascistbook, right?) And now they’ve done it again when my review was very simple and clear – that a plugin doesn’t mention that it’s VERY limited unless you upgrade to their paid version. Of course I support developers making money on the code they write – but bait and switch should have gone out with greasy car salesman and wide ties. So why does WordPress think … - [The Super Bowl and the World Cup Names](https://www.davetavres.com/the-super-bowl-and-the-world-cup-names/): I know companies protect their trademarks and copyrights to build and develop their brands to make them more marketable and increase their value to advertisers. But… I don’t understand why the NFL says that people, radio stations, TV stations, etc. CANNOT say “Watch the Super Bowl” – instead, you have to say “Watch ‘The Big Game’.” I recently found out the same is true for FIFA’s “World Cup”. You can’t actually say “World Cup” when referring to their event. Doesn’t it just cause confusion among fans and followers? … - [I Know Why Business Want To Go "Passwordless"](https://www.davetavres.com/i-know-why-business-want-to-go-passwordless/): It’s painfully obvious why businesses want to go “passwordless” for their websites. And I’m not willing to accept the answer that it’s “less expensive”, or “easier for customers”, or “more efficient”. The real reason is because businesses want (more of) your personal information. There’s an argument to be made for SOME websites to send you txt messages to verify it’s you, but not many. And yes, as a software tester, I understand how easy it is for spammers/scammers to create profiles on websites using fake email accounts, which … - [Business, Ideas, and MouseMingle](https://www.davetavres.com/business-ideas-and-mousemingle/): For many years I’ve said that social platforms are for social networking, while LinkedIn is for business networking. And while I’ve preached that for a very long time, I haven’t always practiced it. I’ve relied on my personal network and phone calls. However wonderful my network is, they are either sick of me, have golden handcuffs, or just aren’t interested in business the way I am. Ben Franklin created the “Junto” when he was a printer (also called the leather apron club,) so that like-minded people could sit … - [Google has Eaten Microsoft's Lunch](https://www.davetavres.com/google-has-eaten-microsofts-lunch/): I worked at Microsoft for many years in the mid-1990s and late 2000s. I was a Microsoft fanboy. I got especially good with the Microsoft Office suite, and could do just about anything faster than most anyone I knew. I had all the keyboard shortcuts down, was great with Microsoft Excel formulas, could format anything in Microsoft Word, and was a master with Outlook, Publisher, PowerPoint, and even did a lot with Access. Then, Microsoft completely messed up Office with their “ribbon” toolbars. They drastically changed – or … - [AVOID Using Verizon Business](https://www.davetavres.com/avoid-using-verizon-business/): DO NOT USE Verizon Business! The current year is 2015. Websites and technology has been an integral part of business for at LEAST 20 years now. Yet this year, in setting up a Verizon Business SIP / VOIP line has been one of the most challenging, frustrating, and annoying processes I have dealt with in a long time. First – their “Resources” or “FAQs” are ALMOST useless. They refer to other processes, but don’t link to those processes. And when you search for those processes or words in … - [Capital One Banking is Not To Be Trusted](https://www.davetavres.com/capital-one-banking-is-not-to-be-trusted/): Capital One Bank says they have “delivered” four “bill pay” checks, but the people have never received the checks. When asked how they know the checks were delivered, they told me they had delivery tracking on the checks. However, they cannot, or refuse to give me the tracking numbers – which means, they are lying. Furthermore, another check, from 4 MONTHS ago, they say was never delivered – yet the bank kept the money and did NOT inform me that the check was ‘lost in the mail.’ How … - [THE TITAN IN MAKING: A Young Professional’s Practical Guide to Unleash THE INNER ENTREPRENEUR](https://www.davetavres.com/the-titan-in-making-a-young-professionals-practical-guide-to-unleash-the-inner-entrepreneur/): FOR DEMO PURPOSES ONLY Script link - [AI Time-Lapse of Your Life](https://www.davetavres.com/ai-time-lapse-of-your-life/): I was scrolling through someone’s social media timeline and noticed they had a lot of selfies. The idea popped into my head that this is where actual AI (not NLP / Natural Language Processing, that people are CALLING AI) could be used – even if just for fun. Remember the videos of people who have taken a photo of themselves every day for the past “X” years? Actual AI could look at one (or all) of your social platform timelines, do face recognition to find you, then compare … - [Why I moved to Marceline, Missouri](https://www.davetavres.com/why-i-moved-to-marceline-missouri/): I grew up in Southern California, and spent a lot of time at Disneyland as a kid. After spending many years in software development at places like Microsoft and Sony, I started my own technical consulting business, which gave me the flexibility to work at Disneyland for fun as an adult. During my time at the Park, I was an attractions host, then I worked in Guest Relations, where I became a Tour Guide, giving the 3.5 hour “Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” history tour of Disneyland. I studied … - [USAA Credit Card Fraud](https://www.davetavres.com/usaa-credit-card-fraud/): When USAA doesn’t care about their customer’s credit cards being used for fraud, it concerns me. I’m not surprised anymore by bad customer service, but I AM surprised when a financial institution doesn’t care about fraud. In this case, I’ve got a customer (or fraudulent scammer) trying to use a credit card with a different name and city on their card, than what’s on their customer profile. On one hand, I want to provide a potentially real customer access to my service – but on the other hand, … - [Dr. Ben Franklin or: How I Learned to Ignore Lazy Entrepreneurs and Love the Email Address](https://www.davetavres.com/dr-ben-franklin-or-how-i-learned-to-ignore-lazy-entrepreneurs-and-love-the-email-address/): I’ve been searching for a local or regional marketing consultant to hire, to put together a marketing plan. To me, the most obvious place to me to find that person is LinkedIn – the social network for business. To my great disappointment, of the more than 60 profiles I opened for people listed as “Marketing Consultant” or “Independent Marketing Consulting” only THREE of them had contact information on their LinkedIn profile. It should be a giant red flag if a MARKETING CONSULTANT doesn’t know how to market themselves… … - [Live Like a Startup - Take the Initiative and Transform Your Life](https://www.davetavres.com/live-like-a-startup-take-the-initiative-and-transform-your-life/): FOR DEMO PURPOSES ONLY Script link - [The Ultimate Guide for Product Manager](https://www.davetavres.com/the-ultimate-guide-for-product-manager/): FOR DEMO PURPOSES ONLY Script link - [Simple Twitter Feature - Show Number of Blocks](https://www.davetavres.com/simple-twitter-feature-show-number-of-blocks/): Here’s a very simple Twitter feature that could make a huge difference in the quality of Twitter. It’s unlikely Elon Musk will ever see this but here’s hoping that someone will pass it along. Over the years I found that way too many fake, spam, and fishing Twitter profiles follow my account. I assume they’re doing this with the hope of getting a ‘follow back’ so they can spam more profiles and get into more news feeds. Unlike many people, I don’t care how many followers I have … - [eBay sucks again](https://www.davetavres.com/ebay-sucks-again/): Isn’t it sad that we EXPECT bad customer service these days? That we EXPECT companies to NOT stand behind their products? And we’re SHOCKED when they do a good job? Well, as usual, eBay did NOT do a good job. And (because I’m honest,) they’re going to (eventually) get 15%+ on a limited edition watch that I’m selling. Why? Because they have a popular marketplace that gets a lot of eyes – AND, they don’t care about customers. I created an eBay listing for a watch worth many … - ['Free' digital bulletin board](https://www.davetavres.com/free-digital-bulletin-board/): Last year I was trying to figure out how to build and display a ‘digital bulletin board’ on Main Street USA. The idea being that it would be remotely updated with text, video, graphics, AND would pull from RSS feeds, or just show scheduled content, and be easily updatable. The idea was to mount a flat-panel monitor or TV against a large window where there’s lots of foot traffic to catch the eye of visitors and residents when they were in town. It took a while, but I … - [If It's Not Their Idea, It's Bad](https://www.davetavres.com/if-its-not-their-idea-its-bad/): Sometimes, I’m still amazed when “business people” (or those who claim to be professionals) dismiss good, or logical ideas without a reasonable or acceptable answer. I SHOULDN’T be surprised, because a lot of people are driven by their own need to be important. Over the years, I’ve seen it many times, and I have no problem admitting that sometimes those ‘leaders’ have information they can’t share, which makes their decision appear to be a poor one. I think more often though, those bad decisions come from their thinking … - [In 1996 - 25 years ago - I got my first website 'award'](https://www.davetavres.com/in-1996-25-years-ago-i-got-my-first-website-award/): 25 years ago today, on Friday July 26th, 1996, MSN chose my website – Bodie.net – as “MSN Pick of the Day”. My passion for Bodie State Historic Park started on a multi-week, summer high school camping trip, where we ended up making a quick stop at a pinpoint on the map to see the ghost town of Bodie. Bodie was a gold mining town in the late 1800s, located at 8,375 feet in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. I still remember the van rattling like it would fall … - [Quora: "What are the most important things to know when visiting Disneyland?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-what-are-the-most-important-things-to-know-when-visiting-disneyland/): Relax. Have fun. I know it’s outrageously expensive to go to Disneyland, but I’ve personally seen it many times – people want to ‘get their money’s worth’ – but it ends up stressing people out. Just take your time. Don’t worry about long lines or crowds. Once you walk under the railroad bridge after you get through the Main Entrance, just absorb. Notice the detail in everything. You can plan out what attractions you want to see, then go see them. And if you don’t get to see/do … - [Scamming Senior Citizens](https://www.davetavres.com/scamming-senior-citizens/): A friend recently told me the story about how his father was scammed, and ended up in a spanish prison for drug smuggling. My own grandmother had been scammed (multiple) times, eventually causing my grandparents to lose their home. In this age of the internet, seniors are huge targets for being taken advantage of, for two main reasons: a) many of them come from an era where they tended to trust people more easily, and b) they are minimally familiar with the internet and how it works. Seniors … - [Google Photos Needs Labels!](https://www.davetavres.com/google-photos-needs-labels/): One of the best web applications to come along in the past 10 years was Google Photos. Unlimited photo and video storage, mobile apps for Android AND Apple, a simple interface that uses image recognition to help organize your photos, and… it’s all free. Thank you Google. However. There’s a HUGE missing feature in Google Photos. Labels! If you use Gmail (properly) you know, use, and love labels for organizing emails. The primary reason behind labels in Gmail is for organizing and finding messages. Dare I say, it’s … - [Fascinating Must-watch: Tim's Vermeer](https://www.davetavres.com/fascinating-must-watch-tims-vermeer/): I am not into art… or painting… or art history. But I am into technology, and history, and stuff that’s just cool and amazing. The documentary “Tim’s Vermeer” is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen the video at least 10 times, and I’m still amazed, and in awe that a random (albeit brilliant) computer tech-guy, figured out something that no one else had figured out in over 300 years. Johannes Vermeer was a dutch painter, baptized October 31, 1632 — buried December 16, … - [Test Driving... Mattresses](https://www.davetavres.com/test-driving-mattresses/): I’ve had the same mattress for more than 10 years now. I literally bought it (new) from a Big Lots store. It’s a Serta Perfect Sleeper Courtland mattress. I’ve been a fat guy for the past 10 years as well, so I’ve definitely put the mattress through its paces. I’ve also had somewhat bad neck pain for several years, usually when I wake up. I’ve tried several different pillows… different brands, different styles, different thicknesses. Nothing has seemed to help. It occurred to me recently than I’ve stayed … - [The Resurgence of Email](https://www.davetavres.com/the-resurgence-of-email/): With the recent example of Amazon’s AWS service arbitrarily killing a business’s website by revoking the company’s hosting contract, the question must be asked – If a service provider can suddenly decide to not provide you service, how can you continue to reach your audience? The short answer is one of the foundational elements of the internet – the original POP… Post Office Protocol. Email. POP servers have (and are) a staple of the internet. They deliver (most) user verification and forgot password emails. They notify people of … - [Alexander Hamilton, born January 11, ~1755](https://www.davetavres.com/alexander-hamilton-born-january-11-1755/): [su_row][su_column size=”2/5″][/su_column] [su_column size=”3/5″] Born on the island of Nevis, British West Indies on January 11, 1755 or 1757 (the exact date is unknown). Died July 12, 1804, New York, New York, U.S. Parents: Rachel Fawcett Lavien, (of British and French Huguenot descent,) and James Hamilton, a Scottish trader. New York delegate to the Constitutional Convention (1787) Major author of the Federalist papers First secretary of the treasury of the United States (1789–95) He was the foremost champion of a strong central government for the new United States. He was killed in a duel with Aaron … - [Quora: "What was your most difficult moment as a Disney cast member?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-what-was-your-most-difficult-moment-as-a-disney-cast-member/): Before I moved to (and learned a lot from) Disneyland Guest Relations, my most difficult moment came from my own lack of experience dealing with angry/bad guests. I started my Disneyland career as a ride operator on Autopia, around the age of 29 (so I wasn’t a ‘kid.’) One of the positions there is “grouper,” where you assign positions for guests, based on how many cars they need for their group. The position is somewhat fast-paced, as the cars are loading and unloading constantly, and not all guests … - [You Can't Use PayPal Anymore, or, How to Kill a Small Business](https://www.davetavres.com/you-cant-use-paypal-anymore-or-how-to-kill-a-small-business/): In late 2015, I launched MouseMingle.com – the dating site for Disney fans. A few weeks ago, PayPal banned MouseMingle from processing payments with no notice – effectively killing my small business. Why did PayPal choose to kill my small business? Your guess is as good as mine. Why would I say that? Because the official message on my PayPal dashboard says that I’m “in violation of PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy.” The problem is, PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy says nothing about wholesome websites helping people connect and (hopefully) fall … - [Reverse Trick-or-Treat](https://www.davetavres.com/reverse-trick-or-treat/): Today, November 1st – the day AFTER Halloween, a thought occurred to me on how to be a better neighbor – using Halloween as a tool… “Reverse Trick-or-Treat.” Since many people are use to having random people knock on their door on Halloween afternoon/evening/night, why not go knocking on doors to GIVE candy or treats to your neighbors, along with a note about yourself, and your contact information. Many people either don’t make the time to get to know their neighbors, or maybe the neighbors just aren’t social… … - [Radio Show Directories](https://www.davetavres.com/radio-show-directories/): The move from terrestrial radio to digital radio shows brings a host of “Podcast Directories” where people can find shows for just about any topic. This is a list of directories for those who want to find a show, or to submit their own. Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Amazon Music Podcasts Spotify Stitcher PodChaser TuneIn iHeartRadio Pandora RadioPublic PodcastRepublic Pocket Casts Castbox.fm Listen Notes Deezer PodcatAddict Player FM - [FAIL: Scott's RV in Vancouver, WA](https://www.davetavres.com/fail-scotts-rv-in-vancouver-wa/): Scott’s RV, Vancouver, WA 115 SE Ellsworth Rd, Vancouver, WA 98664(360) 882-3444https://scottsrvvancouver.com/ Everyone has bad days. Some people have bad weeks. Their cat just died. Their spouse left them. Their boss yelled at them… but there’s no excuse to repeatedly F-bomb a customer over a lost sale. Sadly, that’s what happened to me at Scott’s RV in Vancouver, WA yesterday. I’ve been researching RVs for several years, trying to understand storage, maintenance, RV park costs, tires, shower sizes, water tanks, and all the things you need to know … - [Disney+ : Lessons in Agile](https://www.davetavres.com/disney-lessons-in-agile/): Having worked on hundreds of websites since the early 1990s, I’m confident in saying that I understand what works and what doesn’t. And, having worked in waterfall and agile software environments, and as a project manager / program manager, I know what the business teams wants vs. what the development teams can deliver (usually based on the timeline that the business owners want.) With the recent launch of Disney’s streaming video service, Disney+, it’s easy to see that Disney is trying to follow some agile methodologies. One of … - [Google Meet Blocked Microphone](https://www.davetavres.com/google-meet-blocked-microphone/): Trying to use Google Meet and you can’t get your microphone to work… but can’t find the answer on how to fix it? Here ya go! The error message is: Something is wrong with your camera or microphone. Or: Meet is unable to access your camera or microphone, but you will still be able to join the call. Or: Microphone is blocked. Speaker is blocked. Go to https://meet.google.com Click the lock icon to the left of the URL, and click on “Site settings.” Scroll down to the “Microphone” … - [Google Chromecast "Support"](https://www.davetavres.com/google-chromecast-support/): This is the transcript from a Google Support chat. It’s sad when even the simplest support request is too hard for customer server / technical support to understand. Christine 10:34 AM – Thanks for contacting us! My name is Christine . I’m happy to answer any questions you have about Google Home. Christine 10:35 AM – Hi Dave! Christine 10:35 AM – How can I help you today? Dave Tavres 10:35 AM – Hi there… I’ve been using two Chromecast devices on two TVs for several years… In … - [NEVER buy digital licenses from Microsoft](https://www.davetavres.com/never-buy-digital-licenses-from-microsoft/): I’ve just spent three days talking to Microsoft “Technical Support”… often called “HELPLESS desk,” trying to activate Windows 10 Pro. Why? Because late last year, we upgraded from Windows 10 Home by using the “Microsoft Store” application in Windows. HUGE mistake! Why? Because when you pay for licenses through the Microsoft Store, they apply the digital license to your Microsoft account – but you do NOT get an actual product key… which means, if you have any problem, you have to spend HOURS on the phone with helpless … - [Citibank "customer service"](https://www.davetavres.com/citibank-customer-service/): Another not-so-good experience with another company. This time, Citibank. I’ve had an American Airlines credit card with Citi for YYYEEEAAARRSS… but in the past many years, I’ve only kept the card because of one of the features – virtual account numbers (“VANs”). Citi allowed me to sign into my credit card account, generate a virtual credit card number – with an amount and length of time before it expired. It was designed for buying things online… especially at merchants that might not be as trusted as others. I … - [Quora: "Would anyone even know about DeLorean cars if it wasn't for the movie Back to the Future?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-would-anyone-even-know-about-delorean-cars-if-it-wasnt-for-the-movie-back-to-the-future/): As a DeLorean owner (www.DMC10515.com) and someone who does a DeLorean audio show (www.DeLoreanTalk.com) I feel pretty confident in saying – “no.” In my short few years of DeLorean ownership (plus the fact that I’ve got a big mouth and love talking to a lot of people,) I would say that a large majority of DeLorean owners bought their cars BECAUSE of seeing it / learning about it from Back to the Future. And as someone who drives #10515 a fair amount, I can tell you – 95% … - [Wahoo's Las Vegas... a disappointment](https://www.davetavres.com/wahoos-las-vegas-a-disappointment/): So sad :( Wahoo’s is in my top 15 favorites food joints. And coming from Southern California, I’ve been to MANY of their locations. This was my first time at Wahoo’s in Las Vegas. When I walked in, the place was *EMPTY*. On a Sunday night. I ordered a #1 – one fish taco, black beans, white rice (same thing I ALWAYS order.) I got my digital receipt at 8:00p on the dot… It took 14 minutes to get ONE fish taco, black bean, white rice. (8:14p is … - [Driven - A John DeLorean Story](https://www.davetavres.com/driven-a-john-delorean-story/): Finally… a hollywood movie about John DeLorean. It only took 30+ years. Sadly, most of what people know about John DeLorean is the drivel and fake news of the early 1980s that was intended to sell newspapers. Not much has changed over the years. And, while a movie about DeLorean’s incredible talent as an engineer and boss won’t ever be made, “Driven” is a movie about what people want to see… the scandal made up by the corrupt government, and the sex appeal of the “news.” That said, … - [Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers Customer Service FAIL](https://www.davetavres.com/freddys-frozen-custard-steakburgers-customer-service-fail/): Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers 4675 W Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89102 Recently, I’ve been seeing ads for “Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers“, and the photos of the food looked amazing. So, I finally decided to try them out, and found the nearest location near me in Las Vegas. They close at 10pm, so I had plenty of time to get there. I got there at 8:47pm, on a Tuesday night. There were two cars in front of me – one at the speaker box, one car … - [Google Maps Tip - Start directions](https://www.davetavres.com/google-maps-tip-start-directions/): Just a quick, favorite tip about Google Maps on mobile… After searching for a place, and getting its location on the map, it’s pretty normal/common to hit the blue “Directions” button – THEN tap the “Start” button. Instead, just tap-HOLD on the “Directions” button, and Google Maps will automatically start your driving navigation. Sure, it only saves a moment, but sometimes after tapping the “Directions” button, Maps can take a “long” time to come up with different routes for you to choose from… although for 99% of trips, … - [Spectrum Cable Hopes to Gouge Customers](https://www.davetavres.com/spectrum-cable-hopes-to-gouge-customers/): As a long-time customer, who’s in the middle of packing for a move, I called Spectrum to schedule a service stop (like I did with electricity, gas, phone, etc.) but Spectrum has decided that they now will NOT schedule service cancellations. You must call Spectrum Cable back on the day you want to cancel. If it was easy to get through the gauntlet of agents, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad – but they don’t WANT to make it easy. I attribute this to the idea that Spectrum … - [Beware of Grundy Insurance](https://www.davetavres.com/beware-of-grundy-insurance/): BEWARE of Grundy Insurance! Thankfully, I got a letter from California DMV telling me that I have NO car insurance on the DeLorean! That caused me to look up the policy, and sure enough, Grundy had cancelled my policy in JANUARY! Of course they say they sent me a letter in the mail… but I did not get it. However, I *DID* get a letter from DMV. Considering I’ve had a policy with them for three years, I would have thought an automated phone call, or automated email … - [Makin' Copies...](https://www.davetavres.com/makin-copies/): “In this day and age,” how is it that something as simple as the price for color copies is NOT easy to find online?! At least near Orange, CA, businesses have chosen not to share something that simple and time-saving on their websites. Aside from being simply annoying, it’s also an expense and interruption to the business that makes the customer call them, then interrupts an employee from helping a customer who is standing in front of them, to answer the phone and give a relatively simple answer. … - [Amazon Prime Failed "Guarantee"](https://www.davetavres.com/amazon-prime-failed-guarantee/): I’d say that “most” people like Amazon. I certainly do. But that that “like” doesn’t extend forever. As usual, bad customer service is the point of this post. I’ve had Amazon Prime since 2009. And I order way too much stuff from Amazon. It’s become something that most Amazon Prime buyers tend to do… over-shop. One of the reasons people tend to over-shop, is the “free” delivery on many items. And with the advent of “FREE Same-Day Delivery” people are coming to rely on Amazon more and more. … - [Are there any free exhibits outside Disneyland or Disney World that are worth checking out?](https://www.davetavres.com/are-there-any-free-exhibits-outside-disneyland-or-disney-world-that-are-worth-checking-out/): Walt Disney had a barn in the backyard of his Holmby Hills (Los Angeles) home, which was the workshop for his 1/8th scale backyard railroad called the “Carolwood Pacific Railroad.” In the mid-1990s, that house was sold, and the barn (and the house) was to be demolished for new construction. Instead, Michael Broggie (son of Roger Broggie, Walt’s right-hand-man in Disney Imagineering at the time,) organized the effort to save and preserve the Barn as a piece of Walt Disney history. The Barn, often called “Walt’s Barn” was disassembled and … - [DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE IF YOU'RE BUSY!](https://www.davetavres.com/dont-answer-the-phone-if-youre-busy/): Since mobile phones became a body-part (meaning, just about every adult in the modern world has one,) expectations and etiquette of person-to-person communications have changed drastically. Now that “everyone” has a phone in the palm of their hand for HOURS every day, some people have turned into Pavlov’s dogs – they feel that they MUST answer a ringing phone, regardless of their current situation. STOP IT! The overwhelming majority of phone calls are not life-or-death. They aren’t ‘the radio station is calling to give you a million dollars.’ … - [Quora: "Does any one at Disney still think in terms of 'What would Walt Disney do?'"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-does-any-one-at-disney-still-think-in-terms-of-what-would-walt-disney-do/): The “anyone” part of the question is a bit ambiguous, as there are those who actually work in the Parks, and those who ‘build’ the Parks. Also, the word “do” can mean something different depending on who you ask. Having worked at Disneyland in Attractions (Autopia, and lots of guest control,) as well as in Guest Relations, and finally as a locomotive engineer, I had the opportunity to help and talk to guests face-to-face on a daily basis, in different capacities. I also learned a lot about other … - [Quora: "How is Disney pulling their content from Netflix going to impact streaming services?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-how-is-disney-pulling-their-content-from-netflix-going-to-impact-streaming-services/): Netflix will be fine. DISNEY is the one you shouldn’t bet on. The streaming market is so splintered now, that people need to subscribe to half-a-dozen different services. HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney, Paramount… and each one costing at least $10/mnth. Not to mention people who ALSO pay for cable TV. While Disney has a lot of content – there’s A LOT of the same stuff. Once you watch ALL of the Marvel movies on the Disney streaming service, what’s left? Kid’s shows for Disney… and … - [Quora: "What do you like the most about a DeLorean car?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-what-do-you-like-the-most-about-a-delorean-car/): As a friend once said, ‘The DeLorean isn’t a speed machine, and it’s not a time machine – but it IS a smile machine.’ What I like most about owning and driving a DeLorean is how happy it makes people. I’ve only owned #10515 since November 2015, but just about every time I drive it – to get gas, car shows, meeting friends for dinner – people always comment about the car, take photos, and are usually smiling. 99% of that comes from the Back to the Future … - [Reselling billboards in Google Maps](https://www.davetavres.com/reselling-billboards-in-google-maps/): I spend waaay too much time in Google Maps. I love it. Part of it is the history aspect. Part is the technology aspect. Part is just the ability to plan and know what an area or route looks like without having to go there. I used TerraServer and MapQuest before Google Maps, and they were amazing for their time. But Google Maps is the juggernaut. So much information about so many places in the world – with many of those places visible in Street View, as if … - [Help fix the Facebook page for Railtown 1897 State Historic Park!](https://www.davetavres.com/help-fix-the-facebook-page-for-railtown-1897-state-historic-park/): Facebook has a default spam page for Railtown 1897 State Historic Park that’s detracting from fans and supporters who share their photos and are looking for correct information. Help fix the Facebook page for Railtown 1897 State Historic Park by following the steps below. The more people who do it, the sooner Facebook will fix the problem. Copy this full URL of the spam page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Railtown-1897-State-Historic-Park/133306653374212 Go to the official facebook page for Railtown 1897 State Historic Park at www.facebook.com/railtown1897 Click the 3 dots next to the “Like” … - [The end of MoviePass](https://www.davetavres.com/the-end-of-moviepass/): Well, it was a good run. MoviePass served millions of customers for a short time in the 2018, but it is no more. Well… the company still exists as of this writing, but it is effectively gone. When a business no longer has products (or services) available to their paying customers, they are as good as gone. And that’s the case with MoviePass. - [Quora: "How did Walt Disney help his community?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-how-did-walt-disney-help-his-community/): “His community” is pretty ambiguous. HIS community would be one of elite artists and businessmen. If the question is actually ‘How did Walt Disney help people?’, that’s an easier answer: Walt Disney helped tens of thousands of people (after he and Roy successfully started the Disney Studios) by creating hundreds of jobs within the Disney Studios. Those artists, engineers, and staffers did not have the creative and technical jobs we have today. He also helped the people by erecting his own buildings. His work (and those of his … - [Goodbye Top-Left Click](https://www.davetavres.com/goodbye-top-left-click/): Well, with Google Chrome‘s recent material redesign (Build 69), one of the most odd mouse shortcuts that I have used since ~1995 has gone away… that is/was the ability to close a window by double-clicking on the top-left corner of the window. And since a large majority of my time on the computer is spent in Google Chrome, it’s a noticeable change.   I just updated to Chrome 69, and a dozen times now I’ve tried clicking on that corner to close windows, but now it only resizes … - [Quora: "Did Walt Disney take advantage of Ub Iwerks?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-did-walt-disney-take-advantage-of-ub-iwerks/): First, the only person/people who could give a REAL answer, is Ub, or people close to him that he confided in. Anyone else – even “Disney historians” are full of hot air if they pretend to know what Ub thought. (OR, if there are credible documents in Ub’s own handwriting that clearly spell it out.) That said, I don’t think Walt took advantage of Ub. I think the industry was so new, and they were young enough, that the adventure and thrill of trying something new outweighed any … - [Quora: "Is it possible that Tesla will eventually be regarded as the DeLorean of this period of automotive history?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-is-it-possible-that-tesla-will-eventually-be-regarded-as-the-delorean-of-this-period-of-automotive-history/): Interesting question, but no. Tesla has built over 100,000 vehicles so far, with many more coming. DeLorean Motor Company only built 9,080 DMC-12s. Also, John DeLorean didn’t have the amount of money that Musk had/has.   Original Quora question – Is it possible that Tesla will eventually be regarded as the DeLorean of this period of automotive history? - [Quora: "If Walt Disney were alive today how different do you think the theme parks would be?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-if-walt-disney-were-alive-today-how-different-do-you-think-the-theme-parks-would-be/): I’m always sad and bothered by these “What would Walt think/do…” questions. *MAYBE* people who worked CLOSELY with Walt back in the day could *POSSIBLY* give an acceptable answer on his behalf, but those people are, for the most part, gone. Walt was a family man. He loved people. He loved entertaining people. He was also a business man – although not as good a business man as his brother Roy – so it’s nearly impossible to tell how the Disney Parks would be today. I know this … - [Meetup Etiquette](https://www.davetavres.com/meetup-etiquette/): I’ve been going to Meetup groups for many years. Primarily business, entrepreneur, and software related groups. I always meet nice people, and sometimes I even come away having learned something. And even more rarely, I leave with a good connection with someone. I recently went to an Agile Meetup and had all of those experiences – I met nice people, learned something, and made a good connection with a guy that I hope I can work with in the near future. But today, I learned something else about … - [Samsung "support" chat](https://www.davetavres.com/samsung-support-chat/): More, stereotypical bad customer service. This time, from Samsung "Support". They, like most "support" companies that are hired to do technical support, do NOT read. Or, they try to frustrate you will endless tasks that don’t work… until finally, they send you off to someone else. In this case, they still didn’t fix the problem. And I am *100% positive* that calling their phone support will yield the same result – endless tasks that result in their "solutions" not working. When a computer geek like me can’t figure … - [Quora: "What was it like to work with Walt Disney?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-what-was-it-like-to-work-with-walt-disney/): During the 50th anniversary celebrations, I attended a cast-member only panel which featured several original Imagineers telling stories and answering questions. This question – “What was it like to work with Walt Disney?” – was asked and answered. My favorite answer was this (I’m sorry that I don’t recall which imagineer gave the response): ‘We learned that you never told Walt “no”, you always said “yes, if”. When Pirates of the Caribbean was first built, it was a walk-thru attraction. Much of the concrete walkways had been poured. … - [Quora: "Why is Disneyland so expensive?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-why-is-disneyland-so-expensive/): Disney is a business… a brilliant business that knows how to research and study the analytics of their products and services. Like any product or service in any market, prices are set primarily by consumers. If some new widget was available at the local store was priced at $1,000 but no one bought it, the price would come down, or the product would go away. In the case of Disney Parks, the price has continued to go up by leaps and bounds, and is expected to continue that … - [Review: Becker Tire in Orange, CA](https://www.davetavres.com/review-becker-tire/): Becker Tire 1100 N Tustin St, Orange, CA 92867 – (714) 633-1780 – www.BeckerTire.net Last month I took a trip to the Barstow area with a group of people, and we drove down a dirt, where I ended up getting a flat tire. I live in Orange County, CA – that’s over 100 miles away from me. And it was Sunday. So my tire repair shop options were limited. One of the only places open was “Frankie Tires”. I ended up buying four new tires. Once I got … - [GoDaddy sucks again...](https://www.davetavres.com/godaddy-sucks-again/): I don’t know why I expect different results when I have to deal with GoDaddy.com – even though they’ve proven time and time and time again that they do NOT care about customer service. And today was just another example of poor customer service, and an overall failure of the people answering the phones AND a supervisor. Here’s what happened: I got a domain renewal email, sent to an address I haven’t used for *YEARS*, about a domain that I haven’t used, touched, worked on for years. I … - [Wow Google Maps...](https://www.davetavres.com/wow-google-maps/): I’ve never noticed this before… or maybe it’s a new feature that Google recently added. Click each of the links below to look at different satellite views of the Los Angeles area: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9303766,-118.3701895,2379m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0316144,-118.2216863,995m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7829021,-117.8795468,1447m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6732444,-117.8861655,491m/data=!3m1!1e3   What’s missing? Cars on the freeways! I can’t believe if missed this before! I looked all over the freeways around LA, and except for a few anomalies, it looks like Google has removed vehicles from the roads! Considering that they have a bazillion photos (not a real number, it’s just obvious … - [Review: Petersen Automotive Museum](https://www.davetavres.com/review-petersen-automotive-museum/): **To Petersen Automotive Museum: If you do see this, do NOT respond to *ME* – respond to all of the people who try to come to the museum who have to park blocks away** On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at about 11:15a, we got to the Petersen Automotive Museum – with our internet-purchased tickets in hand – but were turned away from the parking garage. On a WEDNESDAY at 11 am. How is that possible? Because the Petersen Automotive Museum doesn’t hold parking for patrons of the museum. … - [BTTF Numeral GRAFIX](https://www.davetavres.com/bttf-numeral-grafix/): The "BTTF Numeral GRAFIX" watch face is based on a promotional watch that was sold for the release of "Back to the Future Part II". It features the digital watch font, where the current hour is displayed around the face, and the current minute is in the center. The colors are taken right from screen-grabs of the time circuits in BTTF. The face is also pretty low power, with an OPR of just 2.3%. - [Archer](https://www.davetavres.com/archer/): The “Archer” watch face was inspired by the opening sequence of the “Archer” TV show. The font on the watch face is the exact same font that’s used in the video intro for the show, and the hands are cleaned-up screen-grabs from the video as well. There’s nothing special about v01 of this watch face. Download “Archer – v01” here. - [DeLorean Speedo](https://www.davetavres.com/delorean-speedo/): The “DeLorean Speedo” watch face was inspired by the speedometer of the DeLorean dashboard. The numbers on the face are the same font as used on the DeLorean speedometer, and the hour & minute markers are the same shape and color of the mileage marks on the speedo. Download “DeLorean Speedo – v01” here. - [MoviePass – Better Than a Gym Membership](https://www.davetavres.com/moviepass-better-than-a-gym-membership/): I love business. Especially small business. And I love to see ideas grow from a couple of people at a kitchen table, to something that goes viral. And I especially love seeing one type of business plan applied to something that looks completely different (but actually isn’t.) That’s MoviePass. MoviePass is a month-to-month membership site that (now,) lets you watch an ‘unlimited’ number of movies in the movie theater for the low monthly price of… $9.95. Yes – less than the price of a single ticket. With e-ticketing, … - [FB Comments](https://www.davetavres.com/fb-comments/) - [Please Just Say "I Don't Know"](https://www.davetavres.com/please-just-say-i-dont-know/): I suppose it’s human nature to want to look smarter than you really are. But when it comes to customer service, there’s nothing worse than having someone try to help you when they know less than you do. People often fall back to circular talking, trying to say the same thing in different ways, mainly because they don’t know the answer to the question – but they don’t want to concede that fact. Something I learned very well as a Guest Relations Host at Disneyland was that it’s … - [LinkedIn Invites...](https://www.davetavres.com/linkedin-invites/): We all know that Facebook is the ‘social’ networking site, and LinkedIn is the ‘business’ networking site. Facebook is pretty easy – when you get an invite from someone you don’t know, you ignore the invite. They’re probably scammers/spammers trying to get access to your friends list. But for business networking, it’s more difficult. I’ve met a lot of people over the years in business, and I don’t always remember them. Or, they’ve been referred to me by someone I do know. However, there are also a lot … - [Do NOT buy a Matterport camera!](https://www.davetavres.com/do-not-buy-a-matterport-camera/): As a geek, I love technology. I also love photography (especially digital photography.) Last year, I made a “buyer beware” purchase far too quickly, and purchased a $4,000 Matterport camera, along with the $1,500 “hosting” package (which is REQUIRED to use the camera!) from Matterport.com. *HUUUGE MISTAKE*!! The potential is great, but the cost and customer service is AWFUL! In fact, I can’t recall ever making such a big mistake in a purchase before. Yes, it is completely MY fault for ASSuming that the camera and service would … - [Review: Capital One | Spark Business Banking](https://www.davetavres.com/review-capital-one-spark-business-banking/): I recently started a small side-business, filed the incorporation paperwork and looked at business banking options. One of the options that came up was Capital One’s Spark Business Banking. I filled out all the questions, uploaded the documents they asked for… and never heard back from them again. No email. No phone call. And when I sign into the website, just a message that they have reviewed the documents and will be in touch. But apparently that does not include calling potential customers, or putting a notice on … - [Employee empowerment](https://www.davetavres.com/employee-empowerment/): One of my hobby websites recently got hacked, which caused a bigger problem on my web hosting account. It happens. It’s fixed now, but the incredible frustration that came from it wasn’t caused by the hack itself, but by the bad "technical support" people. I’m very aware of businesses trying to keep costs down so they can increase profits and put money back into the business for further growth. BUT, at what cost? It’s *VERY* unlikely that I’ll continue to recommend my current web host because of the … - [AVOID Skadate! – Lack of tech support](https://www.davetavres.com/avoid-skadate-lack-of-tech-support/): Skadate – AVOID THEM! Sadly, I started a website using the Skadate software, and it has been a nightmare from day 1. LOTS of people have complained about Skadate. I’m not the first. BUT, the most people I can steer AWAY from Skadate, the better. They operate under the name "Skalfa LLC" as well. One of the *ONLY* redeeming things about Skadate / Skalfa, was the customer community forum. There were THOUSANDS of entries with hundreds and hundreds of solutions to the countless problems Skadate has… and today, … - [Bank idea for potential fraud charges](https://www.davetavres.com/bank-idea-for-potential-fraud-charges/): I do *love* that banks will decline charges on your card when they think the charge is fraudulent. It has the potential to save me a lot of time, and save the bank a lot of money. Of the 20 or more times I’ve had it happen in my life when my card was ‘on hold’ because of unusual spending, it’s never been a terrible inconvenience, considering the work they are doing on the back-end to help protect us both. I recently got a short survey from Chase … - [Don't Talk to Cops](https://www.davetavres.com/dttc/): Listen to this. Repeatedly. Know it! Mr. James Duane, a professor at Regent Law School and a former defense attorney, tells you why you should never agree to be interviewed by the police, and Officer George Bruch, Virginia Beach Police Department giving the police perspective. - [Pelican Cases Have No Part Numbers!](https://www.davetavres.com/pelican-cases-have-no-part-numbers/): My crazy, logical, business brain, is shocked once again. Pelican Cases do NOT have even a tiny part number molded into the inside of their cases. So, if the label is removed, damaged beyond reading, painted, etc., if you don’t already know which model the case is… there’s no "easy" way to identify it. Pelican customer service actually told me on the phone, that only way to figure out which model a case is, is to measure the outside dimensions, then search their catalog. She further explained the … - [Cleaning up fake profiles on Facebook](https://www.davetavres.com/cleaning-up-fake-profiles-on-facebook/): When you get friend requests from fake profiles on Facebook, you need to do this to help stop the spammers / scammers / phishers from suckering other people. Open the profile of the friend request. Click the 3 dots next to the ‘message’ button. Choose "Report". Choose "Report this profile", and click Continue. Choose "This is a fake account", and click Continue. Click "Submit to Facebook for Review", then click Done. At the top of the page, click "Delete Request", then click "Mark as Spam". - [Quora: "What are some interesting things to see at Disneyland?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-what-are-some-interesting-things-to-see-at-disneyland/): I love to find a bench or spot to sit/lean to just look and absorb the space. Take note of the way Walt and his Imagineers designed Disneyland. The pavement, the plants, the walkways, the colors. Look at the detail of the buildings. Look at how the theming for each area or attraction connects to each other. Also, just people-watch. Look at how some people enjoy the space, and how others are oblivious to their surroundings. Just a few of my favorite things to see at Disneyland: The … - [Awesome feature in Slack](https://www.davetavres.com/awesome-feature-in-slack/): Awesome feature in Slack – #REMINDERS! Such as: /remind me on December 5th that It’s Walt Disney’s Birthday /remind me every day at 4pm to drink a glass of water www.Slack.com - [The end of Google Keep...](https://www.davetavres.com/the-end-of-google-keep/): Well, it looks like the end of #GoogleKeep… Keep has been a GREAT tool, but Google just removed Keep support from Google Home. Probably a sign that they will be killing #Keep :( - [Quora: "Was it fun to drive a DeLorean? How was the performance?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-was-it-fun-to-drive-a-delorean-how-was-the-performance/): It’s very fun to drive. And it’s very comfortable. It’s mostly fun because people love seeing the car. It’s got a unique look, and even if it wasn’t in Back to the Future, I think people would still enjoy looking at it. And when you’re driving on a nice stretch of road, with little traffic, it’s like you’re laying down, low to the ground, and just humming along. Very comfortable. As for performance, I live in Los Angeles, and I get get up to 70+ pretty quickly when … - [Quora: "How can you success on eHarmony?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-how-can-you-success-on-eharmony/): Write more than a single sentence, but less than a paragraph – People want to read something about you, but they don’t want to read a book. SMILING photos, of YOU, without sunglasses – People want to see photos of you, not of you with four friends, trying to figure out which one you are in the group. And, people don’t want to see you hiding behind sunglasses. Send winks to people that you’re even mildly interested in – Winks/waves shows that you’re active and looking for someone … - [Quora: "How did Marty Mcfly meet Doc?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-how-did-marty-mcfly-meet-doc/): While their story was never revealed, it seems pretty clear that Marty met Doc at Hill Valley High School. When Principal Strickland catches Marty and Jennifer in the hall and gives them tardy slips, he says “Am I to understand you’re still hanging around with Dr. Emmett Brown, McFly?” “…Now let me give you a nickel’s worth of free advice, young man. This so-called Dr. Brown is dangerous. He’s a real nutcase. You hang around with him, you’re gonna end up in big trouble.” Being that Strickland knows … - [Do you do these things when working on a project?](https://www.davetavres.com/do-you-do-these-things-when-working-on-a-project/): First, I love “The James Altucher Show”. He’s got great guests and interesting topics. At this time code of episode 213 – A. J. Jacobs: How to Connect With The Greatest Network in The World, they talk about a few ideas that I really like: “Kill your darlings” – If something you love doesn’t fit the narrative / project / theme / desired outcome, get rid of it, even if you REALLY love it. If it doesn’t fit, don’t force it just because you want it. Take things … - [Internet Basics for Small Businesses](https://www.davetavres.com/internet-basics-for-small-businesses/): This article is intended for small to medium sized businesses and non-profit organizations with limited or no experience with technology and the internet. If you have someone you consider to be your “tech person”, consider reviewing this document with them to get their opinions on each point. If they aren’t very familiar with each point, you may want to have a second “tech person” person involved in decision making to make sure your decisions are well planned and understood. The points below are laid out in order of … - [Stop accidentally killing ALL Chrome browsers](https://www.davetavres.com/stop-accidentally-killing-all-chrome-browsers/): As a keyboard nut, and an avid Google Chrome user, *THE* most frustrating and annoying thig Google has ever done is – the “Close all Chrome Browsers” keyboard shortcut – CTRL+SHIFT+Q – which you might think this could be useful – but it is NOT! Over the years, I’ve accidentally killed every open tab and browser HUNDREDS of times. As it turns out, Google DID create a fantastic keyboard shortcut that would restore your recently closed tabs (one-by-one, or ALL of them if you accidentally hit the CTRL+SHIFT+Q … - [Quora: "Why was Walt Disney considered a philanthropist?"](https://www.davetavres.com/quora-why-was-walt-disney-considered-a-philanthropist/): As with many successful business people, Walt gave lots of money to many different charities, clubs, groups, and things that he felt strongly about. Walt created “CalArts” as a way to train the animators he needed, but also as a place to teach art and other less traditional learning. He also gave money and gifts to his hometown of Marceline, MO. And when World War II broke out, Walt and the Disney Board of Directors voted to donate the Walt Disney Studio services (film and animations for training) … - [Business card scanning](https://www.davetavres.com/business-card-scanning/): Like many people, I’ve probably gotten thousands of business cards over the years. For at least 8 years I carried a Franklin Planner, but by 1998 I went digital. I’m also a bit of a contact-hoarder. I make notes for many of the contacts I make, because I like to go back to give business to people I’ve actually met in person, or when someone else says that they need someone for a particular service, I like to connect people. Over the years I’ve tried entering all of … ## Pages - [Articles](https://www.davetavres.com/) - [Dave Tavres](https://www.davetavres.com/dave-tavres/) - [Narration and Voice Acting](https://www.davetavres.com/vo/): FOR DEMO PURPOSES ONLY - [Calendars](https://www.davetavres.com/calendars/): Click the arrow at the top-right corner of the calendar to show or hide calendars. - [Marceline](https://www.davetavres.com/marceline/): As I make my way to my new home of Marceline, MO, you can follow my progress on Glympse… https://glympse.com/!MarcelineMove - [Railroad Museums & Points of Interest](https://www.davetavres.com/railroadmuseums/): This is an ever-growing list of Railroad Museums and railroad Points Of Interest in the United States, as submitted by rail fans. If you know of a museum or POI in the USA that isn’t already on the list, please submit it below. The site is updated once per hour. You can sort and filter the list, or you can view the full spreadsheet here. (If you want to subscribe to updates to the list, open the spreadsheet, then click the “Tools” menu, and select “Notification rules”.) Scroll … - [Ariel computer updates](https://www.davetavres.com/ariel-computer-updates/): The 9 year old computers at Ariel need to be updated from Windows 7 to Windows 10, as Win7 is no longer receiving security updates. As the desktop computers are at least 9 years old, David agreed it’s time to upgrade them. The components listed below will build 5 new desktop computers, using the NUC platform, which is approximately 5 inches by 4.5 inches by x 1.5 inches, with 256Gb SSD storage, and 8Gb of memory. [su_row][su_column size=”1/2″] Chassis – Intel NUC8i5BEK ~$436 Memory – 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 … - [DeLorean Weekend Las Vegas Location Sharing](https://www.davetavres.com/dwlv/): IF you’re willing to share your real-time travel location with other DeLorean Weekend Las Vegas 2018 attendees: Install Glympse on your phone (Google | Apple) If asked, verify your info, and add your name (so we can tell who it is on the map.) Once you start driving, PLUG IN YOUR PHONE, then click this link –> http://glympse.com/!DWLV2018 Tap the blue circle with the Glympse logo… Tap “Share Location”… In the “Destination” field, enter “Las Vegas, NV” (OR, be sure to set the expiration to many hours.) Click … - [My Favorite Google Apps](https://www.davetavres.com/tools/googleapps/): Last updated: [su_post field=”post_modified”] I love the Google Ecosystem. So, here are my favorite Google apps – that is, mobile apps created BY Google. Must Have Apps: [su_row][su_column size=”1/1″] Trusted Contacts – Setup custom contacts who can find the location of your mobile phone in the case of an emergency. [/su_column][/su_row] [su_row][su_column size=”1/1″] Android Pay – Aside from the ease of tapping your phone on credit card machines to pay, it also stores all/any of your loyalty cards (i.e. store discount cards, gift cards, AAA card, etc.) [/su_column][/su_row] [su_row][su_column … - [Watch Faces](https://www.davetavres.com/watches/): Downloadable watch faces created by, or edited by Dave Tavres, for WatchMaker – for use on Google’s Android Wear smart watches. [su_row][su_column size=”1/2″][su_posts template=”templates/teaser-loop.php” posts_per_page=”-1″ tax_term=”285″][/su_column] [su_column size=”1/2″] [/su_column][/su_row]   - [My Pages and Sites](https://www.davetavres.com/pages/): Here are some of the pages and sites I have created, operate, or have worked on… VidTaggr – an innovative website designed for users who want a more interactive, interesting and fun way to watch and engage with YouTube videos. VidTaggr on Facebook Other Stuff - [Fast Secure Contact Form fix on Bluehost, using Google Apps](https://www.davetavres.com/fast-secure-contact-form-fix-on-bluehost-using-google-apps/): If you use Fast Secure Contact Form for WordPress (and you should), and you host on BlueHost, AND you use Google Apps for Work, these notes should help you fix the problem of not receiving emails. I had everything setup and working with FS Forms, and I could even send a ‘successful’ Test email from the plugin’s “Tools” tab, but the mail never showed up. After much frustration and reading A LOT of boards, it finally clicked, so I hope to make this easier for the next person. … - [Nexus 7 car audio](https://www.davetavres.com/projects/nexus-7-car-audio/): I bought a used car and didn’t like the stereo. I started looking for replacement head units, but wasn’t finding what I wanted for the price I wanted to pay. What I wanted was an aftermarket stereo like the Sony deck I had in my old car. That deck would allow me to control my phone from the buttons on the faceplate. That is that the pause, play, fast forward, rewind, next and previous track buttons all controlled the phone. This was a fantastic feature that made me … - [Projects](https://www.davetavres.com/projects/) - [linter](https://www.davetavres.com/linter/) - [The Great Gatsby - 2013](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-2013/): The Great Gatsby (2013) Leonardo DiCaprio, Isla Fisher, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke and Tobey Maguire Enter video caption here Watch in full screen General Discussion - [The Great Gatsby - 1974](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-1974/): The Great Gatsby (1974) Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern, Karen Black, Scott Wilson and Sam Waterston Enter video caption here Watch in full screen General Discussion - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 9](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-9/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 9… Why would Nick take responsibility for the funeral? What do you think about the newspaper’s version of the story? What do you think of Catherine? What were your thoughts as your read about the funeral? What comes to mind about Gatsby’s boyhood program for self-improvement? What do you think about the values and morals of Americans of the roaring twenties vs. today? - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 8](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-8/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 8… What do you think about Gatsby’s willingness to freely talk to Nick now? Should Daisy have waited for Gatsby when he went off to war? What are your thoughts about Gatsby and Daisy’s earlier relationship? What do you think about George Wilson? - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 7](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-7/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 7… Was Fitzgerald being lazy basically re-writing the same opening scene at the Buchanan’s home that he used Chapter 1? What do you think about Gatsby’s reaction to Daisy and Tom’s daughter? What do you think about Daisy’s mothering skills? Was Daisy’s comparison of Gatsby to an ‘advertisement of a man’ accurate? Was she wrong? Do you like that Gatsby is being more critical of Daisy? Does Daisy really understand love? What’s the significance … - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 6](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-6/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 6… What do you think of Dan Cody? IS Gatsby’s life ‘the American dream’? What do you think of ‘new money’? Do you agree with Tom’s vow? Does Gatsby expect too much of Daisy? What do you think about Nick’s warning that “You can’t repeat the past”? - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 5](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-5/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 5… What do you think about Gatsby’s preparations for Daisy’s arrival? Can the attainment of a goal be less satisfying than the pursuit of a goal? What did you think of Daisy’s reactions during the course of her meeting with Gatsby? - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 4](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-4/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 4… What do you think about Gatsby’s description of his life? What do you think about Mr. Wolfsheim? Does Gatsby’s car get more attention than it should? Should Jordan have have told Nick about Gatsby, Daisy and Tom? Why does Gatsby have so many parties? - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 3](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-3/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 3… What’s different about the party in chapter 2 vs. this chapter? Do you see Nick and Gatsby as similar at all in this chapter? What does it mean that Gatsby has library full of books that he hasn’t read? Now that we have been introduced to Gatsby, what do you think of him? - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 2](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-2/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 2… What is symbolic about the “valley of ashes” and “the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg”? What do you think of Tom in this chapter? Why do you think Myrtle married George if she didn’t love him? What does Myrtle’s speech reveal about her character? - [Great Gatsby - Chapter 1](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/tgg-chapter-1/): Here’s some discussion ideas… but don’t limit yourself to these – talk about ANYTHING in Chapter 1… What impression do you have of Nick, as the narrator? What do you think about Fitzgerald’s description of Tom, Daisy, and Jordan? Not just their physical descriptions, but they personalities, histories, interests and mannerisms? Gatsby is only mentioned in the first few chapters… but what do you think of him so far, based on the references to him? What comes to mind when you read the descriptions of Nick, Gatsby, and the Buchanans’ homes? - [The Great Gatsby](https://www.davetavres.com/thegreatgatsby/): Remember reading “The Great Gatsby” in high school? Remember reading it as an adult? No? Well… it’s time to crack open that book (or e-reader) and read (or re-read) this classic story, with the experience of adulthood! In May, a re-make of the movie-of-the-book, The Great Gatsby will be released, so let’s read the original novel and have an online discussion, chapter-by-chapter, posting your thoughts, ideas, questions and comments along the way. Don’t forget to post comments though! Take your time reading this – don’t just blow through … - [Payment for Services](https://www.davetavres.com/payments/): Please click the button below and enter the amount you are paying. You do not have to setup a PayPal account to make a payment. - [About Dave Tavres](https://www.davetavres.com/about/): Dave Tavres’s Summary Creative Problem Solver, Technical Excellence, Customer Focus. Dynamic customer facing skills and technical expertise as a Software Test Engineer and small business technical consultant. Experienced in full product development lifecycle of enterprise level software. Possesses an interest in cultivating software design prowess and a passion for software usability. Professional competence in the following areas: Effective communication skills. Keen ability to share ideas and information well matched to both technical and business audiences. Intensely passionate about organization and efficiency from years of planning, developing and completing … - [Software, Services, Tools, Apps, Tips & Tricks](https://www.davetavres.com/tools/): My list of cool tools, applications, software, services, and fixes. Bookmarklets | Hosting | Must-have Installs | Cool Tools | Good-to-have Installs | Mobile Tools | Favorite WordPress Plugins | Chrome browser Apps & Extensions | Other Links & Notes | Old Items Favorite Bookmarklets DRAG these LINKS to your bookmark bar – to NOT click them directly. [su_button url=”javascript:(function()%7Bjavascript%3Avoid(window.open(‘mailto%3A%3Fsubject%3D’%2BencodeURIComponent(document.title)%2B’%26body%3D’%2BencodeURIComponent(document.location)))%3B%7D)()%3B”]Email Link[/su_button] When you’re ON a page that you want to share with someone via email, just click the link IN YOUR BOOKMARKS BAR, and a new email tab … ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/www.davetavres.com/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)