Capital Grille – a Great meal

In a previous post I described a truely disappointing meal at the Capital Grille and a dialogue ensued with their very aware and service oriented management.  I promised to return to give the restaurant another chance, and they certainly improved the complete evening!

First off – the waiter and the barman were great.  They had great humor, knew when to leave us alone, and were kind enough to give us tips that were reflective of their own tastes and not just what was popular or expensive.

We shared a nice half-bottle of wine, had a fine set of appetizers and each enjoyed two great pieces of steak.  The winner of the entire meal though was the French Onion Soup (btw you can get it in a CUP size and not just the huge bowl).

There was no annoying “wait” (you know…when you arrive on time for a reservation and they ask you to “wait” at the bar and then magically have a table for you once your a drink down), and the room was quite nice.

I would advise wearing a jacket – despite some of the slobs that were allowed to dine in jeans and polos, it is a nice restaurant and you should dress to the occassion.

Bottom line:  Enjoy the restaurant, and have a cup of Onion Soup-> awesome.

James DeLuccia

Book Review: Outliers

So, after seeing Malcolm Galdwell speak (basically recant his ‘Blink’ book on stage) at RSA in 2008 I was not jumping up and down for the latest works called ‘Outliers’, but when handed to me by a family member I was commited.  So – he again puts together a very readable quick book that highlights the outcome when people’s backgrounds and situations come together to impact the full outcome of ones experiences.

I am not a fan of situations predict a person, but I am a believer that our past makes who we are… those who are forced to struggle and work hard are naturally more inclined to do such in their adult lives… those who are used to being handed everything will subsequently be the same as adults.

Overall the book is a good read, and definitely one worth reading if someone hands it to you, but if you are flying across the U.S. – bring 2 books (it is really that short), and skip the last chapter.  It is a built too self fulfilling…  Nothing wrong with that – it is his book, just was a bit too razor thin focused for me.

Bottom line: Borrow it; Don’t Read it

James

WD TV – Firmware update 1.01.02

As discussed earlier I choose WDTV as my HD digital media player (discussed here).  This morning I updated my firmware to the latest and greatest.  The feature list is quite extensive and wonderful (WD PDF is here):

• Added .MKV chapter selection for video playback for MKV with chapter support
• Added .MTS file extension support
• Added .TP file extension support
• Added .TS file extension support
• Added 1080p 24hz support
• Added disk volume name to folder navigation in list mode
• Added EXIF orientation flag functionality for auto picture rotate
• Added file size in filename
• Added jump feature to the remote: While fast forwarding or reversing, if the “Next” or “Prev” buttons are pressed, video will jump 10 minutes in the respective direction
• Added progress indicator for the duration of the FF or REV function
• And Much More…

Once I made the update I was unable to play my VOB / ISO files.  These were the same files that WERE working before the upgrade.  You must be asking – why update then – well, I had trouble and had Audio support issues that were targeted at being addressed.  After several tests (different drives, different formats) everything failed.

Final result was a need to Downgrade the firmware back to the original factory version (the version that was working).  This is unfortunately not available by WD.  If you like you could decided to downgrade back to the factory original state.  I found the tip on how to do that here (great detail), and the actual firmware here (also very good).

This adventure also introduced me to some future firmware hacks that could be applied, and some possible launch of features for WD to deploy.

The bottom line – I am staying at this version because it works.  I advise sticking here unless you need one of those features.

Happy Hacking,

James DeLuccia

Ron Wiener’s Top Ten Tips for Funding a Start-up Company

I caught an article in the Special Financial Report of INC. last month and there was a nice bit of detial on the VC community and a special highlight for the Atlanta Angel / VC market – always nice to see the South East’s Silicon Valley is still getting good press!  As I am actively involved these days in start-ups and fundraising, I am always on the prowl for tools to make my efforts more successful.  In the article there was mention of Ron Weiner’s post on how to get funding.  A minor bit of Googling took me to his home site here.

Overall I thought he had good tips.  I felt that they were a bit to high level and generic, but definitely great primers to give people something to think about when going through the process.  I personally was looking for my tactical tips – i.e., “when giving a presentation have 10 PPT slides covering XYZ“, or other such specifics.  Having been in the hot seat a number of times I can vouch that passion and the moment can take over and without strict bumpers (think bowling bumpers) one can easily stray and damage their ability to communicate.

Nonetheless – check it out, absorb it, and keep innovating.  Thoughts?  Great additional resources?

James DeLuccia IV

Great cappuccinno in Downtown Atlanta: Octane Coffee!

Headed to see Charles Prince of Oracle and talk about the opportunities in Cloud computing, and found this great coffee shop. I am crazy about coffee and love perfect foam. This place is excellent. Parking is terrible; Atlanta downtown is pretty dodgy with bums and such – but it is worth it.

Best part – everyone is brainstorming and creating – great vibe for thinking through exciting ideas!

If you are in the area check it out.

Octane Coffee Bar & Lounge
www.octanecoffee.com

1009 Marietta St NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 815-9886
Get directions

Amazon Kindle 2 Good got Better?

Amazon Kindle 2 Review as compared to that of Kindle 1.o

I have used the Amazon Kindle (now officially verrsion 1.o) and loved it.  My major gripes were the lack of definite support for PDF files and the huge buttons caused me to inadvertently move forward and backwards in what I was reading.  So – the new one has smaller buttons, longer battery (presumably), and better screen (presumably).  The facts are this for all those out there:

I read a Kindle for over 20 hours on a necessary road trip dealing with shadows, rain, sun, and a tap-tap-gas-gas-brake-brake driver and never had eye fatigue.  I read hundreds of pages of PDF documents – government documents, whitepapers from colleagues, and the necessary product spec guide.  The idea of sliming down my bag AND being more green is superb.  To top it off – I was about to buy one for $400 online – so a new one for $40 cheaper is a steal.

Let me know your thoughts when you get it hands on.

James DeLuccia

Java SDK 1.6 on OS X

Hell of an adventure I had today with my newest venture. The short story:

My user client is built on Java (1.6) and is compatible with, basically, everything. So, when after I downloaded the client and tried to launch it within Apple’s latest OS creation I was bummed to see it fail. After a bit of banging away I realized that there was an update released in September of 2008. So, I go online and begin the 136 meg download from Starbucks.

I discovered during the download this site.
http://weblogs.java.net/blog/arungupta/archive/2008/04/java_se_6_u5_on.html

The simple solution is the following:

• If you want to have JDK 1.6 on your Mac then go to this directory:
• /Applications/Utilities/Java/Java Preferences.app/Contents/MacOS
  • and run “./Java\ Preferences” (without quotes)
• drag’n'drop JAVA SE 6 to the top of the “Application list”
• Done – that is it.

At the console type “java -version” to confirm.

Happy Javaing…

James DeLuccia

WD My Book World Edition – Network and how I got burned

I have a plethora of USB drives and network drives to store data around the home and at the office.  I purchased the MyBook World Edition Network drive with the intent to store data over the wire.  The device  has a USB port on it and I ASSUMED I could plug in directly and make it a USB drive to transfer files from my computer.  So, I recently tried to load one with about 500 gigs of data to store offsite.  The device would not mount on any of my computers and after a while I got quite frustrated.

I then tried to plug it into the WD tv, and it failed there too.

After RE-reading the webiste I learned that the USB port on most of these devices is to extend the drives storage and not as a port to connect computer.  So the lesson – when purchasing external storage devices be sure HOW you can transfer data – and trust me it is worth the extra $10 to get the ones with the additional transfer methods.

Don’t get burned – read the Specifications and don’t assume.

James

WD TV Adventures – in lieu of XMBC

I am currently working to put in a technology to play my digital movie files.  I have a variety of formats pulled from camcorders, training seminars and .avi .mkv and .mp4 formats.  I have tested xmbc and plex and been pleasantly surprised by the capabilities; however, there is just too much management on each.  I also had a few challenges with plex and my monitor / televisions. xmbc on an xbox is good but no HD.  So, I tried a commercial solution – the Western Digital TV device.  It is very basic – an HDMI port, 2 usb, and composite.  Here are my initial results:

It works very simply.  I have played all of the above file formats with good success.  I have 2 files that have not played correctly and I am working to discover the encoding I used to see if that is the cause of the problem.  I was even able to play the video_ts folder without problem.

Quality – all depends on the video – DivX came out grainy and avi showed artifacts

It is quiet and perfect for a home entertainment environment.  Remote is cheap but gets the job done.

Most important of all – It is WIFE APPROVED.  She was navigating in seconds and content.

Also, you can pause a movie and return to it later on.

Bottom line:  Buy it – it is worth the cash.  Careful though the device is cheap but the HDMI cable will cost at least $50 (I bought the cheapest / shortest and it works great – I have a high grade hdmi cable that I will double check, but I expect similar results and will post update).

Happy Videoing,

James

Iphone and ZAGG

Last night I suited up my iPhone with the protective shield product by ZAGG.  I was convinced to buy it from a friend and got it for 30% off online during their sale.  I honestly do not think it is worth the full price.  Here are my thoughts:

Price:  Get it 30% off or do not buy it – you can buy a simple case in it place

Installation:  Not too difficult.  I read the instructions and applied as directed.  A couple of tips:

• spray your hands liberally (both hands)
• watch out for getting your finger print on the adhesive
• peel off the non-stick piece and not the clear piece of plastic
• Have a high powered light within a few feet to find any bumps / air bubbles
• Push the bubbles from the inside out

Cons:  Applying the back was a bear.  The corner pieces are very difficult to set properly.  I nearly cut them off and may do that if they become loose.

I will post any updates on the product as they come to mind.

Best,

James DeLuccia

btw – my ATV / PLEX vs WD TV vs XBOX XBMC debate is firming up and I will post the final results of my research and tests – thanks to everyone for their tips!