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I would not go to Disneyland without Ridemax.* I would not even go to Disneyland without Ridemax if someone else were paying. Not everyone will like Ridemax. For some people, vacations and regimentation are simply opposites that cannot be reconciled. Not me. The planning of the vacation is more fun to me than the vacation.
I don’t worry about lack of spontaneity, I worry about standing in line. What’s spontaneous about standing in line? At Disneyland, if you don’t have a plan, you will stand in line. I haven’t discovered any ride I like so much that I would wait an hour for it. With Ridemax, you can ensure that you only ride when the lines are short. Ridemax tells you what to expect and then you can plan accordingly. For example, if the only time you are free to go to Disney California Adventure (DCA) is at 6:00 p.m.and you hope to ride Toy Story Mania at that time, you will have to wait in line for an hour. Because Ridemax is able to predict the wait for the date and time of day you hope to go, you can decide whether it’s worth it to you to go on that ride at that time.
Also, Ridemax’s predictive powers made splitting up our group much easier. With one part of the group determined to go on Tower of Terror and Mulholland Madness and the other desiring some nice kiddie rides, this was invaluable. I was able to predict what the wait would be on the kiddie rides that time of day and plan fun stuff for the 3 yr old to do while the others used up all the fastpasses.
Ridemax helped me to manage expectations. Our family was slow moving and needed to take a long afternoon break. Most nights we couldn’t stay in the park very late, because we wanted to be at the park very early the next morning to beat the crowds. Obviously, these constraints cut in to how many rides we could ride. Not only did Ridemax help us maximize the number of rides we could ride during our limited time in the park, it also helped me to understand how many rides we would realistically be riding. I could tell my family: “here’s what fits in the time we have today”–and that helped forestall possible disappointment.
Ridemax is written by people who understand the fastpass system and Disney strategy inside and out. Lots of people understand how important it is to get to the park thirty or forty minutes before it opens. But it is common for those same early arrivers to make the mistake of immediately proceeding to the ride they like the best: Space Mountain, for example, and to ride it while there is no waiting. Ridemax asks you to have a little faith and to do some counterintuitive things. Go to Space Mountain and pick up a fastpass even though there is no waiting. Don’t ride it! Why? Well, if you are also planning to go on Dumbo and Peter Pan (or some other popular yet low capacity rides for which there are no fastpasses) you should ride those first–you will then be free to use the fastpass at your leisure.
Caveat: It’s not perfect
While I would definitely buy Ridemax again, it isn’t a perfect program. There are several ways in which the program could be more sophisticated. On the other hand, it costs $15 for a part year subscription, and I wouldn’t want to pay more than that, so how much sophistication can I reasonably hope for?
One thing to understand is that planning your visit to Disneyland with Ridemax will require a little time and trial and error. (If you are a planner, this process is interesting and fun. If you’re not a planner–well, your effort will be rewarded when you don’t have to stand around waiting in the heat.) You probably won’t use the first itinerary you come up with. You will want to make several different itineraries to learn what fits and what doesn’t and to see what tweaks–adding a ride here, or subtracting one there–will make your plans work better. This is especially true if you plan to visit Disneyland and DCA over several days, because it will make more sense to plan certain rides for different days. There are some days that are better for visiting Toontown and some that are better for visiting California Adventure, etc. Also, you probably wouldn’t want to try to ride Peter Pan and Finding Nemo the same day. These things become more obvious as you play with your itineraries.
One obvious problem is that Ridemax doesn’t currently let you schedule shows or parades at Disneyland (they just added this functionality for Disneyworld) into your day. You can schedule two breaks, but that many not be enough when all meals, shows, parades, etc. are considered. I found that the best way of handling breaks or trying to find time to see the shows was to simply select all the rides we wanted to go on, but omit the breaks. If my schedule didn’t end up with natural gaps in it, that meant I had too many rides scheduled. The truth is, the best time to see the shows is during the afternoon when it is hot and the rides are very crowded. Ridemax automatically tends to leave gaps in your schedule during this time because it is the worst time to ride the rides anyway.
Don’t forget that you can create as many itineraries as you need. This is useful not just for envisioning what your day will be like if you enter at 8:00 vs. 8:15 (it’s very different!), but also if you want to parkhop. Simply start your itinerary at the other park at the time you plan to be there and then you will know what to expect in terms of lines and fastpass return times when you arrive. Also, if you end your first itinerary early, to eat dinner or see fireworks, you can then make another itinerary that starts after dinner ends and continues until the time you’ve chosen to leave. Also, if you want to go on Space Mountain three times, just add it to your list of desired rides three times. Ridemax will calculate the most time efficient way for you to satisfy this desire.
Ridemax is not as flexible as would be ideal. For example, there isn’t a way to schedule time for the second parent to ride if you are doing a parent switch in which one parent rides with older children while the other parent waits with the younger (or shorter) child. This isn’t a game ender, even if you plan to do lots of parent switches. You have a few options: plan to use the parent switch fastpass at the beginning or end of your breaks, or have one parent use the fastpass while the other parent takes the other children to the next ride on schedule (with the parent using the fastpass skipping that ride).
Another area in which the program seemed to lack flexibility was in scheduling the runner. Ridemax allows you to indicate that you will be using a runner, someone who is willing to run to another location with the groups’ entry tickets in order to get fastpasses for everyone. Having a runner saves a lot of time. It saves even more time, however, if the runner is okay with the rest of the group going on a ride while the runner gets the fastpasses. However, Ridemax always assumes that the group will wait at the next ride until the runner gets there. If the runner is the Space Mountain person in the family, and everyone else is just standing there waiting and watching the line for Dumbo build, that doesn’t make sense. However, this is another problem that is easy to overcome: just ignore the fact that Ridemax thinks you will wait for the runner and go ahead and get on the ride. The great thing about Ridemax is that you have the rides you plan to go on all mapped out and a predicted time for each one–this makes it much easier to plan how and when you will reunite with your runner (although you will still want your cellphone!)
Thanks to MaryAnn and Sharon whose blogs convinced me to fork over the money for the program. It seemed like an expensive luxury for a single Disney visit at the time, but now I understand that it was an investment in getting full enjoyment out of my parkhopper pass (I did). If you are interested in other positive comments from the web about Ridemax, see here and here.
Look here for more tips on how to get the most out of Ridemax (very helpful). Negative reviews of ridemax are here and here . I think these reviews are mistaken on several points. For each problem they raise, there is either a good response, or at minimum, a reasonably effective workaround. If you have questions about Ridemax or about the points made in the negative reviews, please raise them and I’ll try to answer below.
*I am not affiliated with Ridemax in any way. I paid full price for my use of the program, and I have not received any financial or other advantage from reviewing it here.
After the sad demise of my laptop several months ago, I tried to get by without one. I discovered that I am weak. Some people glory in their high tech cell phones, others in their large televisions, some in their nice vehicles, others in clothes or manicures or expensive hair treatments. Apparently, my weakness is little computers.
Kate and I both liked our presents
After exhaustive research (as in Pdad, Amelia, Duncan and Kate were all exhausted by my obsessive and unending inquiries), I ordered the ASUS UL20a-a1 notebook. It is a great little machine–although only 12 inches it has a Core 2 Duo processor (as opposed to an Atom like its underpowered netbook cousins). It weighs only 3.4 lbs and was a bargain at about $500. After using it for almost a month, I am happy with it and would recommend it, although I have discovered a couple of significant flaws.
My review of it follows (probably only of interest to those considering a computer purchase):
What is great about this computer: I love the size. I can easily put it out of reach of my children on a window sill or shelf or on the mantel above the fireplace. I can carry it from room to room in the house with one hand without any strain. This wasn’t true of the 15 and 17 inch laptops I’ve had. I was a little worried that at 12 inches I might be getting the worst of both worlds–a computer that was too small to be useful yet not as handy and portable as the little 10 inch netbooks. Fortunately, it’s just the opposite. This computer is just big enough to have a nice screen size with the better resolution–web browsing and photo viewing are comfortable. Yet it is still small enough to be very convenient.
Another thing I like is the one year accidental damage warranty offer by Asus (rhymes with juice!). Squaretrade says that accidental damage is a common cause of computer demise. That is very true at my house. My children ruined both of my last two laptops through “accidental” damage. I was committed to ponying up the money for an accidental damage warranty this time. But check out the cost of those policies–at Best Buy it can be about half the cost of a computer like this one. So Asus’s one year damage policy is probably worth an extra $200 to me. The Acer Timeline 1810 (which is the UL20A’s principal competitor) doesn’t offer that. On top of that, Asus rated at the top in Squaretrade’s study of laptop reliability.
Why I chose the Asus UL20A over the Acer Timeline*: I strongly dislike these shiny piano black laptops that pick up every fingerprint. They only look good when you open the box. Who wants to spend all day polishing a computer? Who wants to look at fingerprints all day? By contrast, the silver finish on my UL20a doesn’t show fingerprints. I think it is very attractive as well, without being flashy. Three more adjectives–understated, professional and sophisticated.
I also need to praise the keyboard. It is impressive that you can have a typing experience this excellent in a machine this small. The chiclet style keyboard is similar to a Sony Vaio. I had never had a chiclet keyboard before (and I was a bit concerned about it) but I may never go back. I think my typing accuracy may have improved! I am able to type at top speed. It just feels good. I have read other reviews that mention a problem with keyboard flex. I’m not sure what keyboard flex is–but either my machine doesn’t have it or it doesn’t bother me at all, because I have nothing but praise for this keyboard. It is outstanding.
This machine is speedy and responsive for my needs. Of course, I just do e-mail, internet and word processing. I haven’t upgraded the RAM yet, but I have found that I can have many, many, many windows open at once with no noticeable downgrade in performance.
I also like the screen–it’s just big enough and really bright. It may be a tad glossier than would be ideal– I was worried because I have a lot of large windows in my house, but I haven’t found this to be much of an issue so far. I haven’t had the chance to try it outside yet.
***What is not so great about this computer***
The worst problem with this computer is hands down the trackpad. This will be no big deal for you if you always use an external mouse anyway. But I don’t want to use an external mouse! I have done everything everyone recommends. I downloaded and applied the Synaptics generic driver. I tweaked the settings. Honestly, I’m still not happy. The button is far too stiff. The touchpad isn’t responsive enough, even at maximum sensitivity. I’ve given myself a month to get used to it, and I’m still super disappointed. The tweaking did help: I now have pinch zoom and two finger scrolling. It helps that with a tap you can simulate a left mouse click. Also, surprisingly even though I turned the sensitivity to maximum, I haven’t had any trouble with accidentally brushing the pad and having the cursor jump across the page as I’ve had with other machines. To sum up: you can make the trackpad work if you need to, but it still isn’t pleasant to use. I’m going to purchase an external mouse. What a bummer.
Wireless issues: I noticed that when using the machine wirelessly (as most people do with a laptop), Youtube, CNN, and Cook’s Illustrated videos would not play smoothly. When I used a wired connection to our network, the hiccups and stalls went away. I did a speedtest and my download speed seemed to max out at about 3.5 – far less than what we pay for with our high speed cable. Wired I was able to download at 23. I thought it was a problem with the wireless card. But then I visited my in-laws and tried the wireless there (they also have high speed cable) my internet connection was blazing fast! So, we ordered a new router. Now my wireless works great (16 or more) and I have no trouble watching the short video clips that were such a problem before. So, if you have troubles with your wireless, be sure to try it at a friend’s house with a different router and see how it does then. The Linksys WRT350N router that didn’t work with this machine was only a year or two old. The router that works great is a Netgear Rangemax WNDR 3700 Dual Band Wireless N. I don’t know if it was some sort of compatibility problem with the Linksys or if the much, much, much larger antenna on the Netgear made the difference. One other note: so far, I’ve only been able to use the 2.4 band, not the 5.0 band on the Netgear router. I wonder if it is a limitation of the UL20a because our other computer connects to the 5.0 band. I don’t care, because I have the speed I need now.
*Updated to add: I just noticed that Acer will soon release a silver Timeline 1810tz. If I hadn’t already purchased the Asus, I would be tempted to consider this Acer model. The silver finish might fix the fingerprint problem. If the Acer’s trackpad is superior to the Asus’s (which wouldn’t be hard) then it might be the machine to buy. It has 3 Ram instead of 2, and a 320 gb HD as opposed to the Asus’s 250. It also has an HDMI output, if you need that. The footprint is about 3/4″ smaller–(of course, is an 11.6″ screen as nice to view as a 12″? I don’t know.) Of course, Acer ranks much lower in reliability than Asus and they don’t offer the Accidental Damage Warranty. There are always tradeoffs!
I know that many have counseled putting the computer(s) in a common area of the house or even a high traffic area. Pornography is truly a scourge. It’s obvious that the information children might share over the internet needs monitoring.
On the other hand, Pdad works at home and has his office in an isolated corner of the basement so that I don’t have a painful, always-shushing-my-children kind of life. He is on the telephone most of the day and the tones of little voices–raised either in happy play or in sibling ire–just do not provide a good background for his important business calls. Also, he travels, spending many nights in hotels. Realistically speaking, if his resolve to avoid pornography depends on a fear of family members walking by, he’s in big trouble, because usually there won’t be a family member walking by. It isn’t possible to un-isolate his computer unless we are prepared to move back to company headquarters.
So–no-brainer right? If we can’t move Pdad’s computer, we can’t. But what about the kids’ computer? Children are still developing their judgment. They need to be monitored. We handled this for a while by having one computer with the internet (use for children by permission only) and one for homework. But what made sense in theory didn’t work in practice. How do we look up words? At Merriam-Webster.com. How do we check which books are in at the library? On their internet site. How do we research which new books we want? At Amazon. How does Amelia find images of the Sphinx for her big school project? With Google.
So for a while now, the kids have had relatively unfettered access to an internet-enabled computer in the family room. The problem: our family room is a very public part of our house. It is where all the toys are. It can be very difficult to focus on your homework when smaller monkeys are whooping and hollering and having fun, or even targeting you for distraction. Because of Amelia’s motor issues, she must type all her homework on the computer. How do I get her the quiet she needs while also having her computer in an area where it can be monitored?
Again, where is your computer and why?
Of course, I guess I didn’t actually miss it. I was here at that moment—busy trying to record it. Is there a lesson in that somewhere?
In Memoriam
Red Laptop, January 2009-June 2009
Dear Red Laptop,
I did not know you long. I would have liked to have gotten to know you better. To be honest, in our short acquaintance I didn’t figure out enough about what makes you tick to ensure that our relationship went smoothly. And now you are gone. I am filled with regrets.
Mostly I regret that I wasn’t able to teach the one who runs not to run in the room where running isn’t allowed. It was manslaughter not murder, but you are gone just the same. Your DNA may survive [I hope, cross your fingers everyone], but we will never compose blog posts together again.
I miss you already. Your loss changes everything. My freedom is gone. And spontaneity–blogging here, there, everywhere–is just a memory.
Please don’t be offended to learn that I’m already thinking about dating other computers. I know it’s soon, but I have needs. Honestly, what I need is to make a substantial commitment and soon [whether we can afford it--that's a different question]. I don’t know which model would be my best match. Someone thinner? Someone smarter? Someone faster or cheaper? I’m not sure, but I’ve learned this: sturdier is better than handsome. I’m eyeing your brothers and cousins, and I’m dreaming of strangers [different brands] as well. But I really wish I didn’t have to replace you at all.
Goodbye.
Pmom
This is not about something that happened to a friend or a long time ago. This happened to me today.
If you have an American Express card, you need to check your account or statement right away.
I have an American Express card, because I almost live at Costco. I happened to look at the statement that just arrived via e-mail a few hours ago. There was two charges for something called True.com. These charges really stuck out as I only use this card for Costco.
This card hasn’t been out of my possession. I do not use this card to buy things on the internet. I looked up true.com. It is a matchmaking service. I am not interested in matchmaking services and had never heard of True.com before.
I called American Express and they immediately credited ~$60 back to my account. They suggested that I had somehow been tricked into giving my credit card number out on the internet. But I never use this card on the internet. They said they had no explanation for me. They recommended that I call the company in question and tell them that I was not interested in their services. So I called them and they asked for my credit card number, which, for obvious reasons, I didn’t feel comfortable giving them. I called Amex back. The nice man at Amex then admitted that they have seen a huge surge in True.com charges recently and are working with True.com (which they say is a legitimate company) to figure it out. I called True.com back and gave them the credit card number so that they could delete all accounts associated with that number. The person I spoke to said, “And I bet your card is still in your possession right?” ”Yes,” I said. ”The problem,” she explained, “is that a lot of American Express cards are closely linked. The first 12 digits are the same. So someone who wants to commit fraud just has to manipulate the last few digits until they find one that works.”
YIKES!
1) I like using my American Express card at Costco. 2) They were very helpful in reversing the charges promptly today. 3) I don’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater . . .
but I am tempted to just cancel the card. If what True.com says is true, then my card could be used for all sorts of internet purchases without ever leaving my wallet. And why did I have to call them about these True.com charges? Shouldn’t they have been proactively searching their database for True.com charges and reversing them?
I couldn’t take the suspense any longer—yesterday I powered up my laptop for the first time in the eight days since the terrorism incident. Despite my usual pessimism, I thought the machine would probably survive. I breathed relief as it worked through the usual sequence of start up screens. But suddenly, an out of sequence display of random colors and patterns suggested that all was not well. Then the thing stopped and hung. I stopped and waited. In horror. Oh shoot! No, no, no! Not my brand new computer! That wasn’t really a $600 terrible two-ism, was it?
After I finished yelling, I finally settled and tried what all the super clever computer fixers do: the restart.
Et voila! My computer has been working great for 20+ hours. The only problem is that I remember that out of sequence, out of place display. I know that wasn’t good. I cannot breathe relief. I remember Pdad’s bitter experience . . .
I have a solution. I’m not going to turn it off. Not ever.
Do you think that will work?
So, if someone poured water on your computer, how long would you wait before turning it back on?
And, would you simply wait? Or:
Put it in a low oven?
Blow it with a hairdryer?
Pour denatured alcohol into it?
About six weeks ago, I had to put my laptop down. I put it to sleep the way you would a beloved dog. No, its hard drive hadn’t stopped beating, but I needed to put it out of its misery (and mine). I bought another puppy right away–I couldn’t handle the loneliness. Ultimately, I decided on an HP Pavilion dv5t Laptop which I purchased from Costco.com. It has a Core 2 Duo Intel processor, 4 GB RAM, and a 64 bit processor with a 250 GB hard drive. It came with a printer and was only $599 before taxes and shipping.
I’ve been using it for almost two weeks now. I’m thinking about returning it to Costco. Why?
I like blogs. I like blogs a lot. But I have three children . . . and responsibilies. A husband . . . and responsibilities. A house . . . and responsibilities . . . or at least desires for how it should be kept up. But I still like blogs.
My problem: I have no time!
There is a solution. Well, if not a solution, then an amelioration. [Ameliorate: to make better or more tolerable.]
The feedreader.
Click to add C&G to a feedreader
The feedreader ameliorates my problem by allowing me to read more blogs in less time. It does this by pulling all my feeds into one place. A feed is the new content that a website (often a blog or a news site) makes available. On a blog, this is the new posts or the summary/teaser for those new posts (the owner of the blog chooses which). So, instead of using links, bookmarks, or favorites (or even worse, typing in the address) to go check Rarely Home Mom and then Everyday I Write the Book and then Robin’s Song and then Visual Anarchy, to see if any of them have new posts, I can check all of my favorite blogs at once.