Utah's Arch » Fun

webOS:open source::BYU:independence

Travis Grant — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:37:06 +0000

First, I should probably apologize for taking back to your high school days and the horrid exams that we force upon your young children. But frankly, I loved these logic questions. I don’t know if I was any good at them, but I thought that they were a lot of fun.

In the unlikely even that you don’t remember how to read the title, it says, “webOS is to open source as BYU is to independence.” The point is to say that I wish to make a comparison between BYU’s decision to make their football program independent from any conference, and HP’s recent decision to make webOS open source.

Most software is “closed” source. That means that you can’t see the internal workings of the software. Almost everything made by Microsoft and Apple is closed source. There are many other closed source programs as well, it is a very common way to produce software and protect your intellectual property. The only way to see how Windows works is by hacking into the software, which isn’t ethical or legal.

However, there is a large body of open source software that is starting to catch hold in the popular society. If you have used Firefox, Chrome, Android, Open Office, GIMP, or Audacity. Then you have used an open source product. Even the software used to help manage this site is open source.

The idea behind open source is that anyone can get into the source to fix a problem or bug. They can also help to make an enhancement in the software. The concept of many hands make light work. Open source is also typically offered as free to the public. It doesn’t mean that someone can’t charge you to use it, it just means that if they are, then you are getting ripped off.

So, what does open sourcing webOS have to do with BYU’s independence. They really have nothing to do with each other, but I think that is a lot of analogies that can be made between the two decisions that were made almost a year from each other.

The first is the concern that many are expressing about the decision. When BYU announced that it was going to take football down the independent road, many people were either afraid for the future of BYU football, or they mocked the decision.

The same can be said about webOS going open source. I have read anything from outright ridicule to thoughts of fear. But just like with BYU’s decision, this fear and ridicule are really just a sign of something else. It is a sign of lack of understanding. Many people didn’t understand BYU’s motivation. Very few football programs have made the “independent” decision. And the same is going on with webOS. People who don’t know what open source means, are confused, lost and scared.

But just like BYU. I believe that webOS has a tough year ahead, of itself, with a lot of work. But if the right amount of effort it put into it, by both the employees of HP and the many webOS loving developers, that webOS could be better than even iOS (don’t get me started on siri, what a joke).

This is really my second point in the comparison. It will not be an easy road. Fortunately, webOS has the backing of HP to go down this road. And HP professes to be fully invested. Time will only tell. I believe them. I think that Meg Whitman is the CEO who is needed to make up for the mistakes that HP has made in the recent past.

I look forward to seeing what happens with webOS, and more specifically webOS product (because that is really the big gaping black hole in this whole mess). I am excited to see webOS become fully open. I believe that it will do better than what many of the pundits are predicting.

I am holding on to my TouchPad, and I look forward to seeing it advance.

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HP TouchPad

Travis Grant — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:19:44 +0000

A month or so back, I bought an HP TouchPad from KSL. Sadly, I did not get one of the great deals back in August. I was literally one weekend away from hitting the go button in the purchase of a TouchPad. And that weekend managed to be the weekend that HP announced that they were going to discontinue making the HP TouchPad.

Since then, HP has terminated their CEO, and hired Meg Whitman of eBay and California political fame. While there is no official word from HP it looks like they will soon announce that they are going to bring back the TouchPad or some other tablet.

I hope so, Because this is an awesome tool.

I know that the iPad is the all rage. I know that the in crowd has them. But I have never been a big fan of Apple. My little nickname for them is crApple. Not that I think they are a bad product. They are a really good product. But they are overpriced, and you still have a lot of the same problems as anything by Microsoft. And if truth be known, I would only use Linux based products in our house.

So, what do I like about my TouchPad?

First, I love the cards. If you haven’t heard. On any webOS based system (TouchPad, Pre, Veer, etc.) you can launch a program, then another, and another, and have them all open at once in what they call “cards.” Then you can swipe back and for between each app. It is really neat.

I also love the sound quality on this think. I am amazed at how good my MP3s, Pandora and YouTube videos sound on this. I don’t know that I have owned anything with better sound quality.

The selection of apps is wide. Just about everything you find on a criPad (iPad by crApple) you can find something similar for webOS. That said, I am still looking for a Task Manager that suits my needs, and I haven’t. But I am sure in time, one will come along.

There are things that I don’t like about it. But I am sure that if HP renews their interest in this investment, then this will become the best mobile OS on the planet. If it isn’t already.

Anyway, I just thought I would share my love of my new toy. I hope you get the change to use one. You won’t regret it.

As a parting note, this was composed on my HP TouchPad using the WordPress App and the Bluetooth keyboard that you can buy separately.

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Happy Belated Birthday, Dear

Travis Grant — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:15:16 +0000

Last year I shared with you what I got my dear wife for her birthday. This year due to my overall lack of posting new content. I neglected to share this gem with you on her birthday. So, this being the week before Valentine’s Day, and only a few days after her birthday, I thought it might be appropriate to let you know how much I deeply care for her. Not to mention my general boasting about the great present I bought.

My dear wife does an excellent job cleaning the outside of our windows. It is always a great pleasure to look out of the windows and be able to see the beautiful scenery completely smudge free.

However, in her great efforts to clean our windows, she still struggles. Climbing up on the ladder to reach the second story windows, while endearing, can sometimes lead to folly. Carrying a bucket full of detergent and water, a wash cloth, and a drying towel up and down that ladder several times throughout the day is hard work. Not to mention the few times that she has fallen from way up high, and the hazard that is to the bushes.

As I watch her perform this labor, I couldn’t help but wonder what I could do to help her. Then it came to me. Why does she need to climb up and down that ladder so many times just to wash the windows. There has to be a better way.

So, I decided that this year for her birthday, I would purchase a pressure washer that attaches directly to the hose, and does most of the work for her.

It was sheer joy watching her on her birthday wash the windows for our family. The smile on her face was a picture to only imagine.

The best part of this gift is that the present has many functions. She can use it when she washes the car, the deck, and even the trailer. It’s one of those gifts that just keeps on giving.

Too bad, that after she was done cleaning the windows on her birthday, that she had to climb back up on the ladder to chip off all of those dangerous icicles from the window sills. Oh well, I guess I can wait until the next thaw before she cleans our windows again.

Happy belated birthday, Dear. Oh, and you can be sure that your Vanlentine’s present will be just as thoughtful.

The above is with respect to Walter E. Williams and his dear, departed wife, Connie, and his past Christmas presents he has shared with us on the Rush Limbaugh Show.

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FamilySearch Indexing

Travis Grant — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:44:15 +0000

I have this very heightened sense of self-importance, and I believe that many of you are wondering where I am and what have I been doing. The fact is that many of you are probably glad that you have had one less thing to read on the Internet. And most of you forgot that I even existed.

Despite my understanding that most of you don’t care, i will let you know what I have been doing these past few month. Mostly, I have just been busy. I work in the ocean shipping industry and May to October or November is our busy season. As a result, I have had a lot of work that needed to be done, and not a lot of time for personal pleasures.

That said, I have had some personal time. I just haven’t been choosing to spend it on this site. Intead, I have been speding most of my time indexing. But that is getting head of the story.

Back in May 2010, our Stake President encouraged all members of his stake to get more involved in Family History. He encouraged us to do the research needed so that our Ancestors could enjoy the blessings of the temple.

At the time, I had the privilege and responsibility to attend some classes on family history work. While in those classes I learned about FamilySearch Indexing. It looked interesting, and it looked like something that I could do to help fulfill the Stake President’s request that we get more involved.

So, I remember it was Memorial Day weekend of 2010, that I downloaded the software from the website, and started to index. Since then, I have gotten my family involved in indexing, specifically my wife and one of our daughters, Miss Joe. I have also helped many other people in our ward in indexing as well. But again I am getting a head of myself.

For those of you who don’t know, FamilySearch Indexing is a means to making the worlds records available to the world on the Internet. While many of the records that have been recorded are still available to people. They are usually only in book or image format. Thus making them very difficult for search for them on the Internet. Through the FamilySearch Indexing program. Volunteers from around the world are transcribing this information into a large database so that people can find the records to do their own family history research. Once the transcription is complete for each project, the information is made available at the recently updated FamilySearch website. It is a massive project that is being completed at a great pace because of thousands of volunteers.

Since I started indexing back in May, I was called as one of four Ward Family History Consultants in our Ward. So, I have decided that I need to do more that just indexing to fulfill the Stake President’s request to do more family history work. So, I have started working on my family history. Without going into the boring details, let me just say that I have spent more of my time cleaning up records, and confirming information that I already have in my family records and church records.

But as a Family History Consultant, my responsibility goes beyond just doing my own family research. I am also responsible for helping my neighbors do their research. As part of that I have helped teach classes on family history. But the classes that I have enjoyed the most is the classes I have taught (or co-taught with my wife) on FamilySearch Indexing.

If you haven’t tried indexing, but you have even a small interest in family history research. I would encourage you to visit the FamilySearch Indexing website, and learn more about it. I would especially encourage you to download the program, and give it a try.

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Happy Birthday, Dear

Travis Grant — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:47:08 +0000

Today is my dear wife’s birthday. And I am so impressed with the wonderful gift that I got for her, that I want to toot my own horn for a minute on this site.

Having made the decision to have a fairly large family. At least, large by today’s standards. We have to cut costs where ever possible.

As part of this cost cutting venture, we don’t hire people to do any automobile repairs, unless we have to. Well, the last time that my dear wife was out rotating the tires, I was so moved by the efforts she made. Trying to remove those lug nuts with nothing more than a box wrench was tough for her.

After the first tire was removed her dear knuckles were already bloody, and she still had three more to do. It was all I could do watching her as she struggled with each nut.

I was so moved by her diligent efforts, I knew that there was something to do to help her. So, this year, I purchase for her a tire iron. Not just any old tire iron. Nope. I bought the cheapest one that money can buy. After all, we have a big family and can’t afford more.

It will be so nice to watch her remove those lug nuts with this new tool. No longer will I have to endure the pains of her screams and grunts. It will be sure pleasure to watch her rotate the tires in just over an hour compared to half a day as in years past.

I love you dear. Happy Birthday.

Oh, by the way. I think it’s time to rotate the tires on my car.

The above is with respect to Walter E. Williams and his dear, departed wife, Connie, and his past Christmas presents he has shared with us on the Rush Limbaugh Show.

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Coyote Gulch

Travis Grant — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:29:37 +0000

A year ago you might remember my post about a trip that I made to Paranuweap Canyon. Well, I made a similar trip again this year, but this time to Coyote Gulch. We also added one more person to our group.

On May 15th, I headed down to the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument with the same friend as last year. Since we left as soon as I finished work, and because of a brief detour to Fish Lake on the trip down, we arrived after night fall, and slept out under the stars about 3 miles west of the Jacob Hamblin Arch Entrance. the best part of the trip down was the chance to find a few quick and easy geocaches. Sure it extended the trip, but for me it was well worth it. My friend seemed to agree.

After breakfast the next morning we headed east to the entrance. This was perhaps the worst part of the trip. It involved a 25 foot downward climb into the mouth of the canyon. The drop was very steep, and there was time where I almost fell, but I managed to keep my balance and the descent was successful.

When we arrived at the base we felt like we had landed in the Garden of Eden. It was still very early and the air was very crisp and fresh. With the cool air and beautiful lighting no picture can capture what we experienced.

After a short drip upstream to check out the awe inspiring Jacob Hamblin Arch, we headed down stream to Coyote Natural bridge. While We enjoyed a couple of nice stops on the way, including some great formation in the water, to a “hanging rock formation. But Coyote Natural Bridge was the best stop along the way.

After Coyote Natural Bridge, only two of us were able to continue on because of family obligations by the other half of the party. So, we continued on to see some petroglyphs and then a small waterfall, and Cliff Arch. While at Cliff Arch I had the distinct pleasure of watching a hawk circle above me and look for pray. I hope he wasn’t mistaking me for pray.

After a brief rest, we returned back to the entrance. While there were other options for entering and exiting the canyon, we decided that the Jacob Hamblin entrance would be the best. But before we ascended to our camp, we first went back to the see the other side of Jacob Hamblin arch, it is was well worth it. You can see the arch in it’s magnitude. It just seems to strech on forever.

After our ascent, and seeing that we had a few minutes to spend, we went to find the geocache located at Dance Hall Rock, and to enjoy a little bit of history. Interesting to know that even in trying times the early pioneers of Utah found time to dance and entertain themselves in this hot arid desert.

After finding the cache we drove to the trail head the lead to Peek-a-boo canyon and Spooky canyon. These were two great canyons, but both for different reasons. We camped at the trail head over night, and we thought for sure that the wind was going to blow us down to the base, but sleeping in the bed of the truck kept us safe.

Peek-a-boo was a more technical climb. We didn’t need any ropes, but it did involve some climbing, and supporting of each other to get through some parts of the climb. It was also fun to see the small arches that dotted the slot canyon.

After completing Peek-a-boo, which we measured as being as narrow as 9.5 inches at one point, we hiked over the the beginning of Spooky. This was awe inspiring because you got to see the wash that lead into Spooky. It was very wide, and a ton of water must have flowed through here at one point.

After a few minutes in Spooky, I soon learned why it had earn the name. If you have the slightest case of claustrophobia, then I would suggest that you not try this canyon. If I had been a lone, I think that I would have just freaked out, and turned around when we were only a few hundred feet from the end.

After finishing Spooky, and taking a short break, my friend talked me into hiking up Dry Fork Gulch with him. While the hike up the fork wasn’t anything too fantastic, the route that we took back to camp was great. The worst part of the trip was this is where I dropped my GPS and the screen smacked against a rock and cracked. It was rendered useless.

We decided after the hike up the gulch that we would take the “high road” back to camp. So we followed unmarked paths back. It was neat because we got to see some great rock formations and some beautifully blooming cactii.

At this point I was ready to go home. But my friend was determined to do one more slot canyon. He had had his heart set on hiking Zebra Canyon for several years, and he didn’t want to miss this oppertunity. So after helping a stranded truck fix their car and get headed back out of the canyon, we stopped a the trail head to Zebra Canyon.

The trip in was long, hot, and boring. The most intresting thing we saw was a slight coloration of the rocks that made it look a litte (okay very little) like Jesus Christ. It must have been the hot sun getting to me, I know.

Eventually, we made it to the mouth of Zebra and it was very nice. As you might well imagine, it is named Zebra Canyon, because it is striped in white and orange. There were a couple of technical (just a hand up) point, and it ended in a couple of keeper pots.

The trip back to the car seemed shorter than the trip to the canyon, and the ride home was nice. I wasn’t as exhausted as last years trip, and I really enjoyed this camp out. I hope you enjoyed the ride along with me.

Just as a note, you might notice that many of these pictures were used in the title splash of this site. I hope to take a some time to use other pictures I have taked these past couple of years, especially those from my Paranuweap trip.

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Another Move

Travis Grant — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:54:29 +0000

Okay, in the time that I have been blogging, I have had four different sites. First, I started at Writers on the Loose (WOTL). WOTL is a great group of people, and there are several writers there who are worth reading. While my stay was only short at WOTL, it helped me to learn that I have a passion for writing. Even if my editing ability is lacking.

Then I spent a long time at Blog-City and for the most part I was happy with their free service. I really had no intention of leaving. However, they started to charge, and I decided that what they offered wasn’t worth the fee. So, I moved on.

Most of my reader’s will know my from my WordPress account called Gazelem. I really enjoyed my stay. However, for a long time, I have seriously contemplated moving away from the name Gazelem. While I think it is a great name, it is a rather loaded name. So, I finally decided to move on.

I have been debating what to call my new blog. I thought of Grantastic, Grantabulous, Grantilicious, Grantemonium, and a few others that played off of my last name, but most of them just didn’t work for me. So, I thought that I would use the word Utah in the name, because accept for my personal life, I talk mostly about Utah Politics.

I considered Utah We Love Thee, because when I was at WOTL, that is what I used and it is the State Hymn for Utah (it used to be the state song, but that was change a few years back to Utah, This is the Place). And honestly, I love Utah. But Utah We Love Thee just seemed a little old fashioned.

I was really excited when I finally thought of The Utah Arrow. I was almost ready to go with that, but then I thought I might get entangled in a lawsuit with a local radio station, and I just didn’t want to have that as a possible mess. Besides, what do arrows have to dow with Utah besides the plethora of arrowheads you can find in this state.

Then it came to me. Utah’s Arch seems to captivate some of the things that I want this blog to be. First, it is about Utah. Second, I love arches, and Utah’s scenic red rock country has many of them. Also, the word Arch combined with Utah almost has a news-like feel to the name.

Arch can also serve as a great acronym for the block. A is for Analysis, where I hope to provide a critical assessment on the local news and events. R is for Rhetoric, since a lot of what you see here will hopefully be persuasive. C is for Colloquy, because I want you to get involved and comment and discuss the issues. And H is for Heuristics, where I would like to look at the past as our trial and error test, that we might learn for the future. Okay, I admit that last one is a bit of a stretch, but it works.

Another couple of acronyms could be America, Republican, Church, and Home which is a pretty good description of myself. But I hope that I also fit the acronym of Amicable, Relevant, Common Sense, and Humorous. There are probably others, but I think you get the idea. I love the Arch.

Anyway, welcome to my new home on the net. I hope you enjoy it, because I plan on staying here for a while.

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Sandy's Blog

Travis Grant — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 03:38:43 +0000

Well, after following my blog for years, my dear wife has finally given into the addiction called blogging. She followed my ill-advised advice, and used WordPress. After a brief training session, she finally has a new post. It is the talk she offered at her grand father’s funeral.

So, please take a minute to check it out.

Oh, and don’t expect much politics over there. She doesn’t find it as interesting as I do. But you will probably learn more about us through her blog, then you will through mine.

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World Net Daily and Sarah Palin Read My Blog

Travis Grant — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:39:55 +0000

World Net Daily and Sarah Palin stole my idea. While I probably should be angered at the plagiarism. I am more honored. I can’t believe that such a small little blog has such big influence.

World Net Dailey is reporting the same thing I did on Monday. That Sarah Palin is helping out NBC, SNL, and Tina Fey. I am impressed that my news has such a far reach.

So, now we know that this is important that we help out the struggling network, this struggling show, and this struggling comedian. Americans everywhere do you duty. We must help McCain and Palin to win.

Just another reminder, I won’t be voting for McCain. I can’t do it after the bailout. It was the wrong thing to do, so voting for anyone who voted for the bill is the wrong thing to do.

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Why McCain Palin Must Win

Travis Grant — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:28:12 +0000

I won’t ask you to vote for someone I wont’ vote for. But I feel that it is imperitive that this pair must win this election. It is for our country’s health that I believe this is true.

There are $700 billion reasons I will not be voting for McCain next month. I can’t support anyone who wants to turn this country into a socialist state. I am so serious about this non-McCain vote that I have sign the 110Amen Pledge. And I hope that you will to.

That said, I must state that I feel it is an imperative that John McCain and Sarah Palin with the election. And it is for one simple reason. We need comedy in hard times. We need to laugh as times get rough. And since we can’t seem to control congress, we need something to keep our minds off of the demise of our constitutional freedoms.

Think about it. How many Barack Obama jokes can Dave Letterman and Jay Leno do. Honestly, I think that they are done. Joe Biden just isn’t funny. There really isn’t anything about him that makes you want to laugh.

However, Sarah Palin is great fodder for the comedians. People we need to do this for Tina Fey. She is a struggling comedian whose fame has be greatly increased thanks to Palin’s nomination.

McCain won’t provide as much fodder, but we can have more fun with him than we can have with Obama.

We need to do this for America. I know that I am encouraging you to do that which I won’t but people, this is important for America. We need this.

Vote for good Comedy. Vote for laughs. Don’t vote for Obama/Biden.

America needs a good laugh.

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