Ripped off

About a month ago when we had our major plumbing problem, we just picked a plumber to do the work and didn't shop around. We didn't have much of a choice as we needed the water back on. We chose Rescue Rooter and the plumber did a good job. When he was doing the work, I was trying to do some calculations to see what it really should have cost based on say $85/hour for a plumber (that's what I was charged in the past for non-emergency work). The plumber said the rate was the same if it was an emergency or non-emergency. The repair cost a lot, but I started to forget about it.

On Friday, I had Rescue Rooter come out to give me an estimate on putting a T in the main water line to hook up sprinklers to prepare for redoing our front lawn. I almost fell over when he gave me the estimate. It was $520. He knocked $50 off and I said I'd get other estimates. I got a call back and the price dropped to $395. Still, this seemed way out of line. I had already dug the hole to expose the pipe, there was maybe $50 in parts and worst case 2 hours of work. At $100/hour, that's a total (including parts) of $250. I just got an estimate from another plumber (without seeing it) of around $200; this estimate is much more in line with what I'd expect.

So, it looks like Rescue Rooter ripped me off big time to fix our plumbing issue. Of course, there is nothing I can do about it except write this post. Bottom line, even in a plumbing emergency, shop around if you think the number is out of line. In addition, don't use Rescue Rooter.

Dealing with screenshots

Over the years, I've had to take screenshots for documentation, to report bugs, and to help other people. Up until recently, the primary application I used was SnapzProX. However, it took awhile for them to come up with an Intel native version and pretty much has remained the same for years. This isn't really a bad thing as the program worked, but I was longing for something more. There have been a number of programs brought to market since SnapzProX, but nothing has really come close to meeting my needs.

I came across a program called Layers and immediately bought it. The ability to capture a screen with each window as a separate layer looked really cool. However, after using it for a little while, it just didn't reaplce SnapzProX or command-shift-4. It still has a use every now and again, but not for everyday use.

When I bought the MacHeist 3 bundle, I looked at each program it came with to see if anything would fit into my everyday toolbelt (a lot of the applications could be used here and there). I started playing with LittleSnapper and after some initial problems (saving a web page as a PDF crashes it and there is currently no fix for it; in addition, uploading to a web site via SFTP doesn't work with public/private key encryption), it has become invaluable to me. The feature that is making it invaluable to me is the fact that it saves the screenshots to a library and I can drag directly out of it into an iChat window or in an email message without having to save it to the desktop, drag it in, then delete the file (I also used to always delete the file before I sent the file which caused a problem). I still want them to fix the SFTP issue, but I'm quite happy with the program. I need to figure out how else I can use it.

The end of desktop sync?

While this probably isn't news to many, I have almost come to the conclusion that syncing a handheld with the desktop is dead. The only exception is media as OTA (over the air) sync is far too slow (currently) to handle large photos, music, and movie (for the most part). It has taken me awhile to come to this conclusion as I spent many years working on desktop sync software. In the last few weeks, we installed Zimbra at work and are moving people towards syncing their handhelds (Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, iPhone, and Palm OS devices) over the air (primarily cellular). In these cases, the desktop just becomes another sync client and not the master; the server handles the synchronization.

My life seems much simpler now that I don't have to deal with desktop sync; no more desktop configuration, physical connection issues, and various conduits.

Bottom of the line

When I look to buy lasting goods I don't usually don't buy the top of the line as it is not affordable nor would I get the value out of it (however, I do buy my Macs at almost the top of the line). The other day I had to take my circular saw in for service as it didn't quite sound right; I bought it a few months ago reconditioned. I know I didn't buy the top of the line (the saw along with a drill, flashlight and reciprocating saw was $199), but didn't buy the bottom. When I started talking to the folks at the repair shop, they pretty much laughed at me with my saw. These people repair professional tools and my rinky dink saw was basically a toy. I admitted that I knew what I was getting, but it definitely wasn't the bottom of the line; it did come with lithium ion batteries which should have moved it up a notch. However, they didn't agree. After talking with the manager for a bit, I learned that the price of the tool doesn't necessarily mean anything as they get all tools in for repair; it really doesn't matter the brand (there are only a few manufacturers of electric tools as there have been a lot of mergers).

In any case, in a few weeks, I should have my saw back fully repaired (yes, it should have lasted more than a few months), but since I don't use professionally, the tools work work fine. If I get at least a few years out of them, I'll be happy.