mika.lepisto.com

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Gmail POP & SMTP Servers

Mika 8:59 am on October 31, 2007

The Gmail POP & SMTP servers have been giving me all sorts of trouble lately. I use POP/SMTP access about 99% more than I use the web based interface to gmail so it’s super annoying.

Seems like every 3rd or 4th message just hangs and won’t send out. The web interface to Gmail works fine during this time though, so I’m wondering if it has something to do with congestion because of traffic volume on these services. I don’t imagine that Google cares much, since they can’t show any ads (side note, ads in my email program are REALLY annoying) to people that are using the Gmail POP/SMTP servers almost exclusively.

But, it’s free so you get what you pay for and I guess I can’t complain all that much.
Time for a new phone?

Mika 2:39 pm on October 11, 2007

I’ve been having some weird issues with my T-mobile dash lately. Keener’s always making fun of me because it’s not as dumbed-down as his ancient Nokia and has some issues every now and again. Yeah, the previous HP thing I had was a terror, but this has been pretty good until lately.

Today I did a hard reset on the phone, which took forever for me to figure out how to do so stay tuned I may post some instructions on that. We’ll see if that cures anything.

So anyway, now I’ve been thinking about the Sprint Centro. Seems like it would be a pretty decent deal considering it’s supposed to be $100 or less and still do the basic smartphone functions. Kind of weird calling a smartphone basic, but who needs the fancy stuff, all I need is a camera, access to email & the web and a keyboard. Wifi is nice too, but I’d rather have faster cellular internet, so I’m considering switching from tmobile.

We’ll see… it’s only money right?
Google Streetview Portland is Here

Mika 12:42 pm on October 9, 2007

Yep, google maps now has streetview in Portland. I don’t know if I’d actually use it for anything constructive, but it’s fun to check it out and see what’s going on. Too bad they didn’t wait for my house to be done before they came by though:
Reply From Starbucks About Recycling

Mika 2:44 pm on October 8, 2007

Starbucks has responded to my previous post about Starbucks recycling via email. Here you go:

Hello Mika,

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company with your questions regarding our recycling efforts.

Starbucks is committed to protecting and improving the environment, and is continually pursuing opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle our waste products where commercial facilities exist. Most of our retail store recycling is conducted “behind the scenes” in the back room (boxes, milk jugs, etc.). If you are not certain that recycling is taking place in a store, please ask a store manager; he/she can explain what we are doing, what is recyclable in the local area, and what the landlord will allow for waste disposal. One of our challenges is that some parts of the country can process more recyclable materials than others. We are working with a recycling subcontractor to locate local recycling facilities to process materials generated from each store.

In addition to our retail stores, Starbucks recycling programs exist in our other facilities, including Starbucks Support Center, our global headquarters in Seattle, and our roasting plants in Kent, Washington; York, Pennsylvania; and Carson Valley, Nevada. Additionally, we consider
recyclability, reusability and recycled content in our paper and packaging purchases to reduce our impact on the environment. Last year, Starbucks paper products contained 26% post consumer recycled content. We have targeted 30% post-consumer content for all future paper purchases.

On the waste reduction side, we are focused on encouraging reuse of coffee grounds by packaging them and giving them to customers to use as a soil amendment in their gardens. We also offer customers a 10¢ discount each time they use their commuter mug to enjoy their Starbucks beverage. Last year, our customers used their own mugs 13.5 million times, which prevented 586,800 pounds of paper waste from reaching landfills. Reusing coffee grounds and the commuter mug discount complement our recycling efforts because they help to minimize the amount of waste that is produced in each store.

Please know that we appreciate your comments and that we take our responsibility to the environment very seriously. Your concerns will be forwarded to our utility specialist, who manages in-store recycling for North America. If you have additional questions or comments, please contact us at info@starbucks.com or call 1-800-235-2883 to speak directly with a customer relations representative.

Thank you again for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

Sincerely,

(name removed)
Customer Relations Representative

If you would like to share your thoughts about your experience with Starbucks Customer Contact Center, please click on the link below to participate in a short survey. Your comments will be used to ensure that any future experiences with Starbucks Customer Contact Center meet your highest expectations.

http://www.starbuckscontactcenter.com/star….

I think it’s a pretty good explanation of what they’re doing, but I think here in Portland most people are a lot more demanding of recycling, and I for one would like to see it so customers can recycle too.
House Status

Mika 5:20 pm on October 6, 2007

The house is starting to come together. The inside paint is about 80% done, and the outside has been painted. I’m starting to get a little excited because it is actually close enough that it shouldn’t take too much longer.
Learn To Drive

Mika 8:15 am on October 6, 2007

Re-learn to drive - thanks to Chris. When are we going?
Starbucks Recycling & Other Feedback

Mika 1:21 pm on October 3, 2007

Dear Starbucks,

As a patron that visits mostly your Portland stores at least 20 times per month if not significantly more, including some necessary evening and afternoon caffeine injections, I find it really sad that your business decisions seem to include a lot of unnecessary waste.

This isn’t some rant about how you are evil by trying to conquer the world of coffee retailing (if you haven’t already) but some long-considered feedback about waste that is apparent to me as a consumer, and things that could be easily rectified.

Below you’ll find a few reasons that could be dealt with. I’ve even included some suggestions so I’m not one of those complainers that actually offers no input on how to make things better.

You don’t offer recycling for plastic, glass, or paper in your stores. At our office, we’ve decided to put your paper cups to good use for something (stay tuned for this one) since it pains me to toss them away at your store. We used to carry them back to our office to recycle, but that is so boring and would be unnecessary if you had a recycling container on-site. As a side note, it really frustrates me when I get a “double cup” from baristas. Isn’t that what the sleeve was intended for? Quick fix: Get some recycling bins from your local garbage suppliers and put them in the store. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just useful.

Only 10% recycled fiber in your cups? Come on now. 10% is barely anything. But I’m ignorant about food-container laws, so maybe this isn’t your fault. I’ll not press it. Quick fix: Have cups produced with higher recycled materials if possible.

Your “Song of the day” idea is great. But why print cards to give away? This is just more wasted paper and trash. Shame on you! Ya’ll are from Seattle, right? Aren’t you all tree-huggers up there, or is the money starting to get in the way of business decisions? Quick fix: Give away a different code every day on something like starbucks.com/song/ or print the code on your cups or the hot-sleeves.

You’re selling songs on itunes now instead of a CD. This is great! But please don’t make us buy cardboard to go download electronic music. But, at least this is a step in the right direction. Now if only I could recycle the cardboard after I download my music onto the laptop or ipod touch through the on-site t-mobile hotspot…

Also, please stop putting more add-on sale stuff into your stores. I know it’s nice to make more money (hey, I like it too) but I don’t want to buy a book or a stuffed animal with my morning coffee. The extra space could be used for expanding your food offerings (good job on the bacon-avacado-burrito thingy and the lunch salads) to include some items that are presumably healthier than the glazed donuts and chocolate coffee cake. I for one would by more food-ish items for breakfast or lunch.

Thanks for listening.