» On 11/28/2010 04:15:00 PM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
Samsung Monte GT-S5620 Phone: Setting Speed Dial. 

Got a new cell phone. Drove me crazy. Finally figured out some shortcuts. Will post here:

1) Install the 2 CDs on your PC.

DO IT. It takes time, but trust me. You could spend many hours beating your head against the wall, like I did.

2) After the CDs are installed, you will be asked if you want to update the software.

DO IT. It takes time, but trust me. You could spend many hours, etc. [Kies 1.5.3.10103_102.]

3) Download the PDF User Manual here.

4) OK, you jumped to this step. That's fine. But if you want to make things easier on yourself, do the steps above, too. Trust me. Q: How do you set the speed dial on a Samsung Monte GT-S5620 Phone?

A: Menu, Settings, Smart unlock. Gesture unlock - On, Speed dial.

There it is. Don't you feel stupid?

[I did.]

Update: Phonebook, Contacts dropdown - Favourites. Good gawd, that's WAY too easy.

 
» On 11/12/2010 05:25:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
I ♥ Iowa.

My job is to distill long and often poorly-written news reports into a few sentences that your local radio news guy can read on the air. For some reason, the best stories always seem to come out of Iowa:

>>Tractor Destroyed In Fire Near Blairstown

(Blairstown, IA) -- Police are investigating the cause of a fire near Blairstown that destroyed a four-wheel drive John Deere tractor. Firefighters were called to a farm on 25th Avenue around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, when a tractor caught fire just after starting up. A witness said the smoke was so thick, quote, "you couldn't even see the corn crib." The tractor was a total loss, but there was little, if any, damage to the plow. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

>>Mason City Sting Attempt Falls Flat

(Mason City, IA) -- The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Department spent over one-thousand dollars on a failed sting operation. Authorities were trying to catch suspects wanted on outstanding warrants. About a thousand postcards were mailed, telling individuals they may have won a plasma TV, a trip, or a Guitar Hero game. All they had to do was bring ID to a storefront in Mason City on Saturday. But no one showed up. The thousand-dollar cost was for county expenditures only. About 18 officers from four law enforcement agencies assisted in the operation.

 
» On 11/06/2010 03:40:00 PM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
My Current Top 3 Snack Food Obsessions:

Kettle Brand Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper Krinkle Cut Potato Chips (spicy enough to make me sneeze),

Rold Gold Honey Mustard Tiny Twist Pretzels (traditional pretzel flavor, with a mustard twist), and...

(drum roll, please)...

Boulder Canyon Chipotle Ranch Kettle Chips (to die for - the best mixture of flavors on the planet).

Previous: My Current Top 3 Potato Chip Obsessions.

 
» On 11/04/2010 06:00:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
Dr. Louis E. Catron (1 Apr 1932 - 30 Oct 2010).

Lou Catron taught theater and life
Director for all seasons and students

Originally Published: Wednesday, November 3, 2010 8:50 AM EDT

Retired Prof. Louis E. Catron died Oct. 30 after a long illness. He was noted for his direction of popular William & Mary Theatre musicals, classical plays, modern dramas and comedies.

His colleague Richard Palmer recalled, “In more than 30 years of directing, Lou Catron provided many wonderful experiences for Williamsburg audiences. His musicals usually sold out the Phi Beta Kappa theater, but he also did a wide range of dramas.”

Palmer added, “He was a special teacher who continued to nurture former students years after they left William & Mary. Important writers in film and television continued to rely on his critiques and support.”

A number of Prof. Catron’s students excelled as actors, directors, screenplay writers and authors. Perhaps best known are actress Glenn Close and novelist-screenwriter Karen Hall of “MASH” and “Hill Street Blues.” His playwriting graduates went on to write more than 40 books, several dedicated to him.

Palmer added, “His teaching was worldwide, extending beyond William & Mary through his half dozen books and numerous articles. His are still the go-to books for beginning directors and playwrights.”

Louis Catron was born in Springfield, Ill., in 1932 and was educated at Millikin University and Southern Illinois University. During the Korean War, he served in the Navy. Prior to teaching, he held a variety of jobs. He enjoyed success as an actor, but felt he belonged in teaching theater.

He joined William &  Mary in 1966. In 1988 the Virginia Council of Higher Education awarded him the Outstanding Faculty Award, an annual honor given 12 professors. In 1972 and 1975 he was named an “Outstanding Educator of America.”

His production of “Agnes of God” toured several cities in Virginia. Many of his musical productions for the W&M Theatre set attendance records. His last play for the theater was “Kiss Me Kate,” in 2001.

Among his awards. he was most proud of being elected to the William & Mary chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

Prof. Catron joined others in urging Williamsburg City Council to establish an Arts Commission to support local arts, and for six years he served as chairman. He campaigned for construction of a new Williamsburg Library, the addition of the performing arts wing, and the Muscarelle Museum of Art.

He wrote more than a dozen books for the theater, most dealing with play writing and directing. Several became college staples.

One of his plays enjoyed thousands of runs in the United States and Canada, and several had off-Broadway production.

Known for his distinguished voice, he was delighted when the Williamsburg Symphonia invited him to narrate Beethoven’s “Egmont Symphony” at the Kimball Theatre.

Jerry Bledsoe, another colleague in Theatre and Speech, said, “I had a great deal of faith in Lou’s ability to realize a production well. He knew how to make it appeal to the audience. He knew how to make it go. He was a splendid playwriting teacher. He knew what made a story work and he was good at passing it on to his students, and many have made careers of it.”

Prof. Catron was also an accomplished sailor who raced in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.

After retirement in 2002, he taught popular courses for the Christopher Wren Association and was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and Faith in Action.

He is survived by his son, Markwood Lincoln Catron. Other survivors include two brothers and one sister: John Mark Catron of St. Paul, Minn., Bayard L. Catron of Springfield, Ill., and Jennifer Lee Catron of Madrid, Spain.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Louis E. Catron Scholarship Fund for Artistic Development, c/o Office of Development, College of William & Mary, PO Box 1693, Williamsburg VA 23187. The fund will support W&M students who focus on studio art, creative writing, applied music, or theater arts.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. this Sunday, Nov. 7, at Williamsburg United Methodist Church on Jamestown Road.



[Facebook memorial page]