"We Are South Dakota"

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[…] I am a South Dakotan, we are South Dakotans. We don’t give up. We always keep fighting because we don’t know it any differently.

Heather has been a friend of mine since kindergarten. We've known each other most of our lives. And now she is a journalist for my hometown paper. In case you haven't been following along, my hometown is about to undergo its first flood in 59 years.

I am proud to be a South Dakotan.

¶ In Memoriam

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I don't get very personal on this site too often, but today is one of those days.

Today is Memorial Day here in the States, a day which we set aside to remember the soldiers that have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy. Many of us celebrate by enjoying those very freedoms, knowing that we are safe from threat.

This Memorial Day I find myself thinking not only of fallen soldiers, but also those who currently serve. Even more specifically, I find myself thinking of those serving in South Dakota.

See, my hometown of Pierre, South Dakota is expecting to endure a flood for the first time in 59 years. A flood that will likely be worse than the one in 1952. The most shocking part is that a flood was never supposed to happen again, as Pierre is home to the world's second-largest rolled-earth dam. I guess this just goes to show that mankind cannot control the forces of nature.

I have many friends who will be affected by this flood. My parents are affected by this flood. Thankfully, my parents will have their home — which resides a hundred yards from the river — evacuated by the end of the day. The Army National Guard is building a levee in front of their house. I hope it holds.

It is a very real possibility that the home I grew up in will be greatly damaged, perhaps irrevocably.

So yes, I find myself thinking today of those who selflessly defend our country and serve our citizens. And I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Thanksgiving

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Today, in the US, we are celebrating Thanksgiving. In a few short hours, I will be sitting down to a feast of a meal with my wife, son, and my parents. I hope that wherever you are (even internationally), that today you find thankfulness in your heart, and have someone to share that with.

So, I suggest you search your heart and thank someone today for their role in your life.

Have a happy thanksgiving, and may you find many blessings in your life.

The Last Lieutenant

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I don’t usually write about things outside the realm of technology on this site, but today marks a special occasion. My father, David De Jabet, is retiring from service as a law enforcement officer today. Below is an article I submitted to my hometown’s newspaper, which was printed today.

Detective Lieutenant David De Jabet has served with the Pierre Police Department for 21 years, and has been in law enforcement for 26 years. On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, De Jabet will retire as the department’s last lieutenant.

Being a law enforcement officer is often a thankless line of work. As an observer of my father’s career for the past quarter of a century, I can say with certainty that officers truly stare into the face of evil. They are rarely recognized with the honor they deserve.

However, I believe my father would say the only thanks necessary is knowing he helped people and he did the right and honorable thing. Long ago, when I was a child, I asked him why he became a cop. His response was that he couldn’t stand bullies. He always felt like he was destined to protect those who were defenseless against those who would do harm.

Now it is time to put away the badge. Although he will no longer be serving in an official capacity as a cop, I can’t imagine the cop inside him will ever fade. My father is a man of service. He takes the motto “to serve and protect” to heart.

My father, Detective Lieutenant David De Jabet, will be Pierre’s last lieutenant due to a recent decision to consolidate the ranks. If you see him around town, instead of congratulating him on his retirement, thank him for his years of service.

I am so proud of your integrity, Dad. Your leadership and courage have served as a great example to others, and to me. Thank you for the sacrifice of not always being able to be with me when the defenseless needed you.

You truly are courageous. You truly are a hero.

MacGeek Pro is Learning a New Language

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My dearest readers, I have loved writing and producing content on this blog for the past 5 years. I started on Blogger, and eventually moved to WordPress.com, then moved to my own Wordpress.org install with this domain name.

Over the years, you may have noticed there is a www.macgeekpro.net which serves as a home for some basic information for me. I rarely do anything with that space and it’s also on a whole other platform, so there really isn’t unity between the two sites. Frankly, I’m tired of that. I want a platform that can serve all of my needs.

I know Wordpress can probably do it all for me, but I’m not a Wordpress wizard.

That is why I am moving to Squarespace. My lovely wife, Karen, has been using Squarespace and loves it. And I must say I have been eyeing it with a bit of jealousy. I believe Squarespace will provide the foundation I need to create a site that I will love to use, and that will have a fundamental design that you will love to look at.

There is something greater that will affect you, the reader. The domain name is changing, along with the name of the entire site.

Get ready to learn the language of Techese. The site isn’t quite finished at the time of this post, but I am going to pound it out today. All of the content I’ve written here will be over there. (Also, the domain may not have resolved yet. Be patient.) So please add / to your bookmarks, and update your RSS readers once you can access the site.

Why the big change? Well, I have been competing for years with some other guy in grabbing the macgeekpro name. I decided I wanted something more original. I’ve been wanting to expand the focus of my writing to all tech, not just being focused on Apple (though that will still be the primary inspiration of my writing). I wanted a cool brand name. I wanted something easy for folks to remember.

So I arrived at Techese. The true inspiration is from my great friend, Aaron. I recently helped him and his family switch to a Mac, and he has a knack for telling me that I speak Techese, but that he’s grateful I can translate it to English. Techese. Genius. Thanks, Aaron. I owe you lunch.

My goal is to have the site nailed down by Monday, February 1st, 2010. I plan to officially launch it and publish my first post on Techese then.

This is my final post on this site. I’ll leave it up until my registration for it expires. Don’t worry, all the content here will be available on Techese without an interruption in the timeline. Thanks for sticking with me through the years, and I hope you follow me through this transition.

See you on Monday, February 1st, 2010 over at Techese.

MacGeek Pro, signing off.

Customer Service is Alive and Well

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Starbucks

Originally uploaded by chrisdejabet


I don’t usually post non-tech related things here, but this is my blog, and I can do what I want, right? Besides, circuits and code are inspired by geeks who consume mass amounts of caffeine, right?

Well, tonight, I had a great customer service experience at one of the local Starbucks.

10:10 pm. I have a half hour drive ahead of me and I am worn out. I want some coffee to perk me up for the drive, and I know a Starbucks is just down the block. I’m also pretty sure they close at 10.

As I approach, I notice that the lights are on and people are inside. I pull in. I walk up to the door, and go inside. The guy behind the counter glances up at me and says, “What can get started for you?”

I put in my order for a tall caramel apple spice for my wife, and a venti caramel brulée latte for me. (Yes, venti. Yes, after 10 pm. I know, I’m addicted to caffeine). The guy sets about to making the drinks.

I pull out my wallet, waiting for him to have a chance to ring me up. He glances up from the espresso machine. “Ah, don’t worry about it. The registers locked me out at 10. I just left the doors open so the folks sitting inside can take their time. It’s on the house.”

This is great customer service. Sure, the company lost out on five and a half bucks or so, but this deepened the loyalty of an already loyal customer. The server took care of the customer instead of turning me away, when he surely could have just said, “Sorry, we’re closed.”

Too often, customer service gets thrown down the drain these days. This experience was a refreshing change of pace.

And yes, free coffee does taste a little better.