Before I write about cycling, I have to write about a few of my other favorite subjects, technology, Fry's, and sales and marketing.
Today's Fry's ad has a "Bell 2.4 GHz Dual Handset Cordless Phone with Bluetooth Built-In" on sale for $39.99. I love Fry's because it's usually got great deals on technology/computer stuff and their stores are humongous and have nearly everything all the time. As such, I look forward to its ads, usually found on the back page of the Sports section of my newspaper, the L.A. Times, or with its own two or four page stand-alone insert on Fridays. I always browse the ads, even when I'm not seeking anything in particular, because sometimes the deals are just too good to pass up. Now, if only they'd build a Fry's closer to Cerritos!
The Bell phone ad caught my attention because I was recently in the market for a new office phone. I'm happy with the one I picked up (at Fry's, of course) but I still watch to see what other bargains pop-up in the hope I can upgrade to one with more features for the same price or better. The Bell phone in the ad has "Bluetooth Built-In" and that caught my eye because I'd love to be able to use a wireless bluetooth headset with my office phone like most people do with their mobile/cell phones. My recently purchased phone doesn't have that feature, and while not critical, would be a nice convenience.
The problem, as I see it, is anyone who's likely in the market for a Bluetooth enabled cordless phone is probably tech savvy enough to know a 2.4GHz system is going to cause or have to accept interference in that frequency range. The biggest culprits of interference are microwave ovens and the interference causes lots of issues for wireless computer networks, many of which operate in that range. Simply put, wireless networks and 2.4GHz phones don't mix.
So who was the genius who decided to make a 2.4GHz Bluetooth cordless phone and market it that way? Seems to me anyone wanting the Bluetooth feature would probably also be someone operating a wireless computer network, and since the wireless network and a 2.4GHz phone won't play nicely, well, as the game show players say, NO DEAL! Maybe I'm missing something? If so, let me know.
Cycling: Yesterday, I rode out to do Como St., which seems to be starting at 8:00AM instead of 8:30. It ended up being "Roger's Cup", which is an informal "race" of the long route that goes out Santa Margarita Parkway and back down into Santiago Canyon through Live Oak Canyon Road. I wasn't there to "race", just train, but of course had I won, I totally would of bragged about it for years. But I didn't. Here's a recap I e-mailed to some of my ride buddies:
I got blown-out but not blown off [referring to the story a couple of riders were literally blown off their bikes by the heavy Santa Ana winds]. I had to battle a fierce headwind all the way out. I was solo and it killed me just to get to the start on time. I was also pretty darn tired from Saturday's jaunt.
During the entire ride I kept thinking about what you said about the strong winds in Ireland. I would NEVER be a cyclist in Ireland.
I suppose the "race" went fine, but I wouldn't know how it ended as I was off the back by the time we hit the Wall [the steep crest of the climb up Live Oak before it descends to Santiago Canyon]. I was gapped heading into the downhill switchbacks and had to work hard to get on and got no recovery leading to Live Oak. I was doing fine with the pace but when it torqued up near the Wall, I said "**** it!" and sat up, tired.
I made the top of the Wall, cruised downhill, and then got caught by a group of 5 that included Gary Wall. I went through the canyon with those dudes, except it wasn't easy because they wanted to go fast and I was just trying to survive.
We picked up Ken Strickland, who was flying solo ahead of us, on the way up Cook's. I tried to do my portion of the work but had to sit in starting about half-way through and made it to Jamboree on the tail of the small group and then sat up as they kept going hard. I made the right turn behind them , and that street turns into Katella so I took that west all the way to Walker and then one right turn north to get home.
Ken waited for me to go down Katella. He pulled off at the Santa Ana river trail and I was lucky to have a strong tailwind to push my *** home all the way down Katella.
I was darn tired when I got home
-adm
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