George Mindling Column 6-21-2003 - Burning desire

Burning desire

Before attending a sales presentation for a PC video production system several years ago, 1 had visions of doing custom. upscale videos for home consumers. I wanted to do specially edited wedding videos and family special events. I was going to be the Steven Spielberg of home videos.

After seeing what I wanted to do was going to cost me a cool $30,000 investment for software and an Apple computer with a stacked array of hard drives, my enthusiasm vanished. I had tried different types of PC analog video capture cards and programming for output to VHS tapes as a hobby.

My first capture card set me back almost $900 and required a state-of-the-art 486 megahertz processor with 8 megabytes of memory. It was a hog that had miserable-quality output.

I tried again several years later with a Pentium with 64 megabytes of memory and a video card dedicated to video capture. Only $250 this time, but the output was still limited to VHS tapes that never played back the way I recorded them! It took many long hours to produce a short, half-screen presentation I was too embarrassed to show anyone. After attending the video workshop, I finally put it all away.

The new generation of personal computers now allows the average consumer to make nice-looking home video productions, within certain expectations. The fast computers in the 2-gigahertz operating range bring output rendering, the bane of all video productions, down to four or five minutes of PC processing time for each minute of output video.

Not nearly as fast as the television ads would like you to believe, but it beats letting your PC run all night, only to get up in the morning and find the rendering still isn't done! Don't be surprised though, if the 60-minute video you want to render still takes until the wee hours of the next morning.

Most new PCs also have a standard 256 megabytes of memory, and that will put you in the ballpark for decent video production system. The need for special audio-visual hard drives has diminished with the new high-speed, large-capacity hard drives. The best improvement in the PC video arena is the firewire (IEEE 1394) cable input from Digital Video Cameras. The old analog inputs, even USB I. I, arc just too slow for decent full-screen, full-speed video images.

Best of all, there is now an alternative to the fickle VHS tapes: DVD or the Digital Video Disk. As always, there is a hitch. There are two major competing formats for DVDs, DVD-R and DVD+R. Check out everything you ever wanted to know about DVD at: http://dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html

You certainly want to be able to show your award-winning production on any DVD player, even if you have to buy and install it for your parents yourself

If this all sounds like Greek, pass on spending huge sums of money on video production. If it sounds exciting, get out the old checkbook .... Again.

George Mindling © 2003

George Mindling Column 5-16-2003 - May Not be Poor for Long

Port Charlotte May Not be Poor for Long

It was pointed out recently that Charlotte County lies between the two richest and fastest growing counties in Florida: Collier, one county removed to the south. and Sarasota, our immediate neighbor to the north. It is understood that someone, sometime, will get off the interstate while zipping between the two hot spots to see what's in the middle.

Even the big-time Tarpon fishermen flying in to the Charlotte County Airport will take a second look at State Road 776 as they slow down to read the new signs welcoming A: The Cleveland Indians. ' B: Manchester United, or C: well, probably not much else would slow them down en route to the waiting Silver King, unless they are startled by the construction that may be the new dream business and social center of Charlotte County.

Those who own commercial property elsewhere obviously oppose the new growth patterns focusing on the area the county plans on acquiring. Many current residential property owners in the affected area also oppose the plan. Even the interpretation of "property seizure by eminent domain" statutes may cause a disruption in the county's proposed financing. The proposed new center faces challenges just 01.0; all major growth projects.

It was also pointed out that the anti-growth people still have considerable leverage in Charlotte County, regardless of the hidden agendas that only surface after the start of construction or the passage of favorable laws. One thing is certain: Charlotte County will grow, regardless of the skills of planners or the vision of developers. In 20 years Port Charlotte will he as different as it was 20 years ago.

How it grows in comparison to Collier and Sarasota counties is obvious: climate and water will always bring the seasonal resident or the retirees who need a service support economy, while quality of life. which includes schools. employment and health. will bring the permanent wage-earning residents and their families.

Focusing on real issues of fiscal responsibilities and duties to the future of the community. rather than creating governmental empires or responding to financial or "political" pressure is always a difficult realization for any governmental body created of lay people. empowered by popular vote. Professional government employees, whether known as bureaucrats or not, are the mainstay of any government, on the federal, state and county levels. Through experience and education. they are the implementers, the approvers, the doers of government.

They know the boundaries of regulation. They are the dream makers or dream killers. They are the people at the heart of the decision-making process who research and analyze data, prepare and submit reports and surveys that arc used by the decision makers. They may report to the elected officials and are required to follow whatever rules and regulations are dictated to them, but the interpretation and implementation of those rules are the reality of government. They are the true builders of tomorrow.

Let 's hope they do a good job because Po' Charlotte won't be poor long.

George Mindling © 2003

George Mindling Column 4-18-2003 - Stuck in the Middle

Stuck in the Middle

In a recent meeting with Bob Tunis, North Port's Director of Economic Development, a distinct difference of attitude became apparent between our neighbors to our immediate north and our Charlotte County community. While many factors must be considered. from impact fees and permitting, and even access to Interstate 75, one attitude is immediately and obviously different: North Port considers growth a good thing.

It's not that certain segments of Charlotte County don't want growth. We, unfortunately, have an excess of CAVE people who rail against any form of progress. In case you're new to our area, CAVE people are Citizens Against Virtually Everything! And there are still enough around to cause Charlotte County to lag behind the rest of the state in average salary and median income!

Perhaps North Port's lowering of the average age of its residents from the mid-60s only five short years ago, quite like Charlotte County, to an average age of mid-40s has something to do with the effort and attitudes in working to bring in clean, high-tech industries.  Charlotte County's median age, however, has increased slightly in those five years. It is still the oldest "average age" county in Florida.

To complicate matters, our economic development focus tends to emphasize an alignment with our neighbors some 30 miles to the south instead of the community a few miles to our north.

Charlotte County has elected to align with the Lee County Economic Development Council and not interact with North Port or Sarasota economic development groups.  Janet Watermeier, Lee County's outgoing economic development director, is well known and highly respected for the outstanding work she has done for Lee County and the Fort Myers area, and indeed the benefit of that alliance cannot be disputed. Why, however, must that alignment be mutually exclusive?

North Port is closer to the shopping and restaurants in Port Charlotte than to Venice. That is changing. As planning for hotels, civic centers, restaurants and shopping areas becomes actual construction, Port Charlotte will feel the drain of cash flow as traffic remains or even migrates to North Port. Major name retailers will soon find North Port. Only a 10 percent growth from its current traffic and residential numbers will validate a new expansion model that may well trigger another round of interest and development.

North Port will also benefit from the planned Murdock town center, which will be only several miles from there, It would be to Charlotte County's benefit to communicate and cooperate with not only the city of North Port, but Sarasota County as well.

North Port's overall demeanor. not just the economic development office. has a reputation for bending over backward s to welcome new businesses and residents to the city. We should look at North Port as an expansion partner, not as a competitor.

Even if we did get the new Bob Evans and Carrabas.

George Mindling © 2003

George Mindling Column 3-21-2003 - Hard to Focus

Hard to Focus Locally When the Action is Global

I have thrown away several attempts at today's column, being distracted by the ominous 8 pm passing of the Bush deadline for Saddam to get out of town. It is difficult to focus on our local economy when the events that will shape our destiny are unfolding on television right in front of us.

Our developing visions of a global economy may be about to come crashing down. The return of isolationism appears to be inevitable, with the ignorance and prejudice shown by vocal and often vicious attacks on foreign citizens and businesses.

I can't help but think back to when I saw my first "Ami go Home!" slogan painted on a bridge near Trier, Germany. We were the rich GIs then, when my $155 a month was significantly more than the average German wage earner brought home. We took it as jealousy, a typical attitude of the "ugly Americans." The Europeans, in general, did not support that feeling, however. I should know, I married a German girl and I lived there for more than five years. The few that wrote the slogans, however, got all the press.

That was the height of the DeGaulle power years, when the French were instructed to not speak English. Our honeymoon in France lasted only a day, as we abruptly changed plans and headed for Switzerland. A German and an American in France, the worst possible combination. Did that stop us from buying Michelin radial tires? No, they were the best tires available. American-made bias-ply tires were abominable, and today they are only found on museum pieces for authenticity.

I brought a VW 1500S notch-back sedan from Germany when I returned, shipping it myself from Antwerp. and picking it up at the old P&O docks in Miami. It had a set of the brand-new Dunlop CB57 "dog biscuit" radials that attracted attention until they finally wore out. I drove it off the dock with only a minimum of paperwork from the lone customs officer on duty.

Times change so drastically that America has just spent $50 million in the time it has taken me to write these few paragraphs. The first air strike against Iraq has taken place while I typed. We watch television and listen as networks and reporters beg for our attention. As unlikely as it seems, we watch live television broadcasts from the target city of our enemy!

We can only pray that sometime in the future, Iraqis and Americans will share the ideals and beliefs that the once deadly opponents of only a generation ago have realized bonds them more than separates them.  My daughter has photos of both her grandfathers in uniform, fighting in the same war.  One, in the U.S. 5th Army. 178th Field Artillery Battalion while in Sicily, the other sitting at his typewriter in his Wehrmacht uniform in Kiev, Russia.

Anyone who thinks peace and prosperity between former enemies is beyond the realm of possibility has not bothered to learn from history.  Hopefully, as Americans. we will again learn to trust and understand our neighbors. We cannot live here alone. The planet is just too small.

George Mindling © 2003

George Mindling Column 2-21-2003 - New Twist on an Old Scam

A Brand New Twist on an Old Scam

To direct dial an international telephone call to friends and family outside the United States. you usually dial 011 first to let the telephone system know you arc dialing an international call.

However, there are many area codes in foreign counties that can be called with just an area code, without first dialing 011. The AT&T telephone card response line even has an instruction. "to call within Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean, please dial a 1."

One area code in particular, 809, has caused grief to some unsuspecting callers - which some people assume is a toll-free line much like the 800 and 888 area codes. It is an international call and it isn't toll-free. There is an Internet scam update currently going around the Web warning of incredibly high telephone bills if they call the 809 area code. There is a real scam, but a little truth may help telephone users understand what to avoid and what is really going on.

The 809 area code is in the Dominican Republic. Obviously, if you need to call someone in the Dominican Republic, you must dial the 809 area code. Just dialing the area code does not generate the staggering telephone bill!

There are firms that use this area code to charge in-bound tolls, just like the notorious 900-numbers here in the states. However, it appears that in the Dominican Republic those numbers reside alongside the many legitimate telephone numbers in the 809 area code. The trick is to get you, the telephone customer, to call one of these toll numbers without your suspecting the call is more than just a long distance call .

Once you make that call, you are legitimately required to pay the bill. Remember, the bill is not from your long distance provider, but from the number you called. Your long distance provider submits the bill from the foreign number on your monthly bill. They are obligated to collect it by International telephone and commerce agreements. Disputing the bill can be a challenge, as the disagreement will be with a foreign telephone company, not a U.S. long-distance provider. The long-distance carrier may help, but don't bank on it.

The 809 area code was splintered in 1997 into several different codes, with the Dominican Republic maintaining the original 809 area code. The 473 area code is now Grenada, while 284 is the British Virgin Islands, and 868 is Trinidad and Tobago. All can be dialed without the international "011" code.

Go to http://thedirectory.org/pref/ for a complete list care area codes. There are other sites to check for help, including the AT&: T fraud site at http://www.att.com.fraud/home.html.

An "urgent message" on your answering machine is but one of the myriad variations to get you to call for more information. If the number is one of the toll numbers, you are not the one who is going to get rich.

George Mindling © 2003

George Mindling Column 1-17-2003 - Back It Up

Remember, It's Important to Back It Up

Nothing is more devastating at tax time than to lose your records. Losing all of your business or personal data is one the worst things that can happen when you need the information for tax reporting.  It happens daily and not just to the other guy. Personal computer hard drives fail. It is not a matter of "if," it is a matter of "when." Component manufacturers use a term called "MTBF," Mean Time Between Failures, as a yardstick of reliability, usually measured in hours of usage. Those numbers have climbed in recent years to the multi-thousands as the overall maturity of products has led to higher reliability. Just don't tell that to two recent victims of hard drive failure in my neighborhood.

Hardest hit was a laptop user who works from home. The data lost was not replaceable; it had to be recovered. The hard drive suffered a catastrophic failure and could no longer be found by the laptop PC. The only recourse was to send the hard drive out to an Orlando company that specializes in hard drive recovery. Depending on the damage to the drive, it may not be able to do the work there. The company's "clean room" laboratory in Nevada is used when the platter must be pulled from the unit.

It isn't a cheap service. The company charges $695 for the first gigabyte of data, and $145 a gigabyte thereafter, if it can be recovered at all. The company also charges a nonrefundable $150 assessment fee, even if the data can't be saved. These fees are on the low side, compared to some of the services available. The fees for recovery of a PC hard drive can go as high as many thousands of dollars.

The other drive failure, while just as complete, had been backed up on CDs using a software back-up program that allows using the CD-RW, or CD burner, instead of the slow, time consuming tapes. The restoration process is not as quick or painless as it should be, but the data has been restored and, with only a few glitches, is again in use.

Most operating systems have backup programs, but typically, they are slow and limited as to what you can use as a medium. There are many ways to back up your data and programs. One of the most popular is the Zip drive. and recently, the rewritable CD has gained a strong following. The old 3.5-inch floppy disks and tapes have all but fallen by the wayside as too small or too slow.

Future programs will allow use of DVD writers as a backup medium. There are several versions of the DVD format and they may not be compatible, so DVDs should only be used to back up the unit they were created on. The advantage is the huge amounts of data that can be stored on a DVD. There are optical drives that can also be used.

Having your data backed up is a smart move.

George Mindling © 2003

George Mindling Column 11-15-2002 - Computer Potato

I'm Rapidly Turning into a Computer Potato

Yes, I'm addicted to the PC! So are a lot of other people who have found a way to express themselves or indulge themselves as never before.

I amaze myself with astonishing graphics that were impossible to predict back when I was in the U.S. Air Force and-could only afford black-and-white film for my first 35mm camera. I now write and submit articles and photographs without talking to or seeing anyone. I sit, and with a few strokes of my keyboard, upload photos and new pages to my Web site where anyone in the world can stop and take a look.

I send files to my relatives by uploading graphics files that now take the place of paper photos. I haven't had a roll of film developed for more than a year. That reminds me, I have to finish off that last roll of film before Christmas.

I do marvelous things with the PC that perhaps pleases only me; but that's OK, I didn't know I enjoyed my own talents. If I want to share my electronic compositions, it only takes a few keystrokes or a mouse click or two. I can chat with people in Germany, England, as well as a few GIs who used to be stationed there all at the same time. Do I watch television? Only a few sporting and news events, and once in a while a Star Trek rerun.

Listening to the arguing, screaming and gunshots of today's programming is hazardous to my health. TV doesn't pay me to be stressed like a piano wire, so I'll just tootle over to the PC and see what's going on. Maybe I can download the biking video my daughter put together up in Athens, Ga. The quality of the video and audio is just astounding. That is the best sounding bad music I have ever heard.

It doesn't take my daughter long to adapt to the new technology. She has already seriously begun looking at converting her old VHS tapes to DVD. Sounds, just like me about 15 years ago when I was trying to save all the family Super 8mm films by transferring them to VHS tape! I saw so many shots of birds and flowers while doing the transfer that I wondered if I had any relatives at all.

Even without any sound, except the clackety whirr of the old Bell & Howell, the old films did manage to preserve several fond family moments. Many of them took place off-camera, however. When the camera batteries died, for example. We had used up the batteries and the film shooting the birds and flowers we were so thrilled to capture on film.

I watch my daughter shoot digital photographs and videos with ease. I know that she will watch the DVDs get transferred to something else. some other new technology that saves time, weight and space, in not-too- many years. .

Only then will she know if she took too many photos of flowers.

George Mindling © 2002