New Burger King Fries

I'm still upset about Wendy's fries and how they changed and (in my opinion) they now SUCK! I was hoping they would have changed them back by now, but doesn't look like that's gonna happen. My ban is still on...

In other fast food news, it seems that Burger King (whose fries I rank equal or even lower than Wendy's) will be coming out with a new fries next week. They say the new fries will be flufflier, taste more potato-like, and be full of deliciousness, or something like that. I don't frequently go to Burger King, but this will definitely make me more inclined as their fries were horrible. I will absolutely be going to Burger King next week to try the new ones out and if they are good I'll probably go more often.

That is all.

Life Update and ZELDA!!!

Just need to say that last weekend, going to Dallas, was one of the greatest times we've ever had. The Cowboys blew the Bills outta the water and gave us one of Dallas' greatest victories in 11 years. We will never forget it and it was absolutely a blast!

Moving on... came back to work on Tuesday, worked all week and now it's Friday. Woo Hoo!

With all my GTA 5 hype, I almost missed another game that is actually coming out this Sunday... Zelda: Skyward Sword... I can't friggin' wait! My plan is to, perhaps, play some older Zelda games tonight... maybe Ocarina, or at least some Twilight Princess and maybe the new DS games... tomorrow I will try to do the same and Sunday I will head out and buy the new game (after the Dallas/Washington game, of course.)

That's all... I'm excited!

F*@# 3D!!

I think I wrote a post awhile back about 3D, but I just wanted to restate my opinions. I believe that just as it was in the 70's/80's... 3D will be another fad of the 10's that will likely go away.

Some directors were coming out and saying that they believe 3D will be the only way a film is shot in the future, but that's bullshit.

Sure, 3D is pretty neat and all, but it's annoying as fuck. You have to wear dark glasses at the theaters or buy a 3D TV to watch at home (and also wear glasses.) There are some sets that don't require 3D glasses, but that 3D is straight up ASS.

It just pisses me off, that's all... I dunno. I am predicting that 3D will stay a niche little thing and most people won't give a fuck.

Geez, why does this get me so mad. I dunno....

I think that true innovation and the real next step of film and tv will be holographic imaging... think Star Wars when that fucked up orange dude is showing the weak points of the Death Star... and of course Princess Leia's message... that will be a big next step. All this 3D shit is just the pop single of the week.

Dallas Trip

Muahahaha.... this Saturday, Jen and myself are heading to Dallas to see the Dallas/Buffalo game on Sunday, Nov 13 (our anniversary.)

I couldn't be any more excited, and as the date gets nearer and nearer, I'm starting to look up all kinds of information regarding the city, the stadium, prices for food/beer, etc...etc... I'm not even sure what all I'm going to take either...

There are a few things that I need to get before we go down... a new big white undershirt for under my jersey... some kind of charger/battery for my iPhone (maybe one of those battery cases,) perhaps snacks for the plane, umm... there's probably more but I'm too excited.

GTA V!!!!

Rockstar has (sorta) announced the newest installment in the Grand Theft Auto series... GTA V!

There was a simple Tweet this morning from @rockstargames that simply said #GTAV and including a link to their homepage which features the picture to the right. As you can see from the pic, GTA V's first trailer is due next week... and well, that's pretty much all we know.

We could try and dissect the way the 'V' looks like it's cut out of a $5 bill, but there really isn't enough information to form any kind of basis from. People on the forums are saying it has a vibe similar to San Andreas, or maybe even Washington DC, but we really won't know anything until next week when the trailer is released.

All I can say is.... YAY!

This exciting news may just spark my interest to go back and start playing GTA games all over again (well at least since GTA III.) In fact, it is GTA III's 10th year anniversary and they are soon to be releasing an iOS version for iPad 2 (and maybe iPhone.) That would be a great place to start... and if I actually play through all the games and try to achieve 100%, the next GTA may be released by the time I finish.

- SPECULATION -

OK, if we base the release of the trailer on the release of the trailer for GTA IV... IV's trailer was released March 07... the release date for the game was supposed to be October 07 but was delayed and didn't come out until April 08. So it was supposed to be about 7 months away, but ended up being 13 months... I'll cross my fingers and hope that they are aiming for 6 or 7 months away which would put GTA V's release date approximately May or June. I hope we find out a bit more about the release next week as well. I'm Hype!

**UPDATE**

Last night I started playing through GTA III on Xbox and after about the 3rd mission I had to move on, simply because I've played through III about 20 times and it felt old... still great but old nonetheless...

I moved on to Vice City and again, it was nice returning but I had already played it a few dozen times so I moved on to San Andreas.

San Andreas did feel a bit more fresh and I got through about 5 missions... I have already beaten San Andreas a couple times and I've played it probably even more than III or Vice City, but I wanted to jump to the next gen console, so I put in...

GTA IV... This game I only beat twice in the past and I have played a bunch of times too, but it still feels very fresh, so I stuck with this and got through about 4 missions... I will continue playing through it until I beat it, also aim for getting 100%. After that's done, I'll play Lost and the Damned expansion and The Ballad of Gay Tony expansion. That will be tough enough to get through all of them, and probably last until the new game comes out... depending on how much free time I actually get to play.

Things I Wish Siri Could Do

I've been playing with Siri on the iPhone 4S since I got it, and it does remarkably well at a number of tasks, however there is room for improvement. Here is a list of things that I wish it could do and hope that it might eventually do.

- If you ask Siri "Do a Google search for Pandas" it will comply, but it would be nice if you could ask "Do a Google News search for Occupy Wall Street" or "Do a Google Image search for Scarlett Johannson."

- Sports Scores! Enough Said... I would love to ask "What's the score of the Notre Dame and Purdue game?" and have Siri say "The Score is Notre Dame 27, Purdue 3, it is the 4th quarter with 5:23 left to play."

- There were some features in the Siri App that have not (yet) made the transition to the 4S such as booking reservations for restaurants and looking up movie times (also possibly purchasing the tickets for you.) I think these things will come, but I want them NOW.

- App Accessibility. Siri will currently set an alarm (which uses the Clock App) or plot directions (using Google Maps,) but it'll be nice when and if it can at least open up other apps. "Siri, open up my Twitter app." or "Siri, open Youtube."

- Search. I think if you ask Siri to find something on your iPhone, some things it can, like contacts, but it would be nice if you could do a spotlight type of search with all media on your phone like "Find all pictures of me in Photos."

- Twitter, Facebook, etc... It would be nice to just say "Please Tweet the following, the traffic on 83 is horrible right now!" or "Please update facebook status to say, I just won the lottery suckers" or even if you just took a picture say "Please send picture to Facebook"

- Control Settings. How awesome would it be to simply tell Siri "Please turn off wifi" or "enable Bluetooth." This would be too sweet.


That's all I can think of right now... I'll try to think of more and make a similar post in the future...

iPhone 4S Review

Now that I've had 4 days to use my new iPhone 4S, I think it's about time to write a review. There are many new features, some were new to the iPhone 4 and some are new to the 4S... but they are all new to me because I am coming from an iPhone 3GS. Let me break it down.

The Retina Display:

I marveled at the Retina Display when it was announced for the iPhone 4, but the only glimpses I got of it were from my brother-in-law who had one. Actually having this display on my phone is amazing. The pictures are crystal clear, the app icons jump out at you and the text is the main highlight and looks as though the words are printed in a glossy magazine. It's spectacular.

Camera Enhancements:

The iPhone 4 made big strides with it's camera, upping the 3GS's 3 megapixels to 5 megapixels, 4 lenses, adding enhanced sensors, an LED flash, and a front facing camera. The 4S ups the ante and brings a whopping 8 megapixels, 5 lenses, even better sensors, 1080p HD video recording with image stabilization and the same LED flash and front facing camera. This camera puts this near the top of all smartphone camera available today. It is phenomenal to take such clear pictures, and it takes them fast too.

Processor Improvements:

The iPhone 4 utilized the iPad's A4 processor and the iPhone 4S now uses the iPad 2's A5 processor. Both had 512 MB Ram and have sped things up considerably. The 4S is remarkably fast and going from page to page and app to app is snappier than I've ever seen.

SIRI:

If those changes weren't enough, Apple is throwing in a little thing called Siri, which could simply be defined as a digital personal assistant. Siri uses voice recognition (licensed by Nuance,) to listen to your commands and questions and it uses Siri's artificially intelligent brain to figure out the meaning in your words and help out as needed. Siri is occasionally hit and miss, but for the most part it does what you need it to do and understands reasonably well. I've already used it a lot to text while driving, set up reminders, look up information, take notes, and just plain ask it silly questions. There is a good likelihood that voice control technology will be the newest interface. First computers needed keyboards, then mice, then touch, soon...voice.

Overall:

I Love It! Nuff Said.

iPhone 4S!!

Finally got my hands on the new iPhone 4S and it is as amazing as I had hoped. There's probably too much to talk about right now, it's much faster, the display clarity is beautiful and it has Siri, which I've had plenty of hits and misses with, but for the majority of the time, it understands what I mean and can somewhat help out. Besides those features, one of the things that I knew I would like but I think will be the biggest thing about the iPhone 4S for me... The Camera!

The camera is amazing... Maybe not to the photophile, but for me it's absolutely the best camera I've ever owned, better than all the point-and-shoot cameras I've ever used and it's always going to be with me in my pocket. I could go on and on, but I wanna go and play with my iPhone more.

Below is a picture comparison... the top pic was taken with the iPhone 3GS and the bottom pic with iPhone 4S.

SIRI part 2

The thing that keeps me most excited about the new iPhone which will be in my hands in merely 2 days, is of course, Siri.

I've already written an insanely long, boring and scattered post about Siri, but I'm so hype for this feature that I wanted to write another post about it... and this is it.

As iPhones are being unintentionally delivered early to various people around the globe, the Siri assistant is being tested plenty, and for the most part, it seems to be a success.

Many reviewers have already come out and said that Siri is working pretty much like they thought it would. There are some limitations, and that is to be expected, but for the most part it seems that the consensus is Siri is a helpful feature with a lot of potential. If and when the Siri API's are opened up for third party developers, this could really blow up. (Although there would need to be a lot of tweaking before that happened.)

It also seems that Siri has a sense of humor and a little sass... when asked a questions like "Will you marry me?" Siri responds "My End User Agreement does not allow marriage." When asked "What is the meaning of life?" Siri simply states "42" (an homage to Hitchhiker's Guide...) There are many other examples already, but I can't wait to do my own questioning to Siri to test the boundaries of what it can do.

Obviously, it won't be able to do overly complicated requests, but for questions it is unsure of, it will do a Google search, or you can simply tell it "Do a Google search for succubus." and it will comply.

Another aspects of this whole voice recognition thing is the ability for speech-to-text anytime that a keyboard pops up. It seems that this works just about as well, if not better, than most available speech-to-text programs out there, and so this has the capability to be very useful. I can already picture myself using it to text while driving, something I hate. I will also use it to compose emails on the go, tweets, and more. It also understands punctuation, so you would say to it, "How is your day going question mark, I'm ready for beer and wings period" and it will appear as 'How is your day going? I'm ready for beer and wings.' It might get confused if your sentence is "Your spine is curved like a question mark. I'll examine it in 4th period study hall." but every device has it's faults.

iPhone Update 2

It is now Wednesday, October 12, 2011 approximately 08:50 a.m.

Unfortunately there isn't much news on my iPhone. According to UPS Tracking, it is still in Louisville, KY. A select few people in places like Germany have been lucky enough to get their shipments already and have posted youtube videos, but like most, I still have 2 days to wait.

Some good news regarding my wife's iPhone (which was ordered directly through AT&T, whereas mine was ordered through Apple.) AT&T did send out an email ensuring that I am one of those who should expect my iPhone to be delivered on Friday (I guess they got inundated with phone calls of people who were just as nervous as I was to be stuck in 'backorder' status.) The only question with AT&T's deliveries is, who will be delivering, UPS or FedEx?


iOS5:

Almost forgot to mention that iOS 5 will be released today (probably around 1 p.m. eastern.) This is the biggest update to the OS that has occurred yet and includes such things as iCloud storage options, new notifications and 200 more features. Can't wait.

iPhone Update

It is Tuesday, 10/11/2011 7:43 a.m... earlier today, at approximately 3:00 a.m. (eastern) the first batch of iPhones, including my 32 GB Black AT&T iPhone 4S has arrived in Louisville, Kentucky, having been flown from Anchorage, Alaska. I am stoked that my phone is finally within the continental United States, in fact, it is a mere 615 miles away. At this rate, I should be able to get it tomorrow for chrissakes, but I know that's not going to happen... so until Friday, I will be anxiously watching my phone's progress. Yay!

Pre-Order's Are IN!!!

I am a few days late to update this, but on Friday morning, at 3 a.m. I woke up and began the process of pre-ordering the new iPhone 4S for my wife and me. It wasn't until closer to 4 a.m. that the Apple Store finally allowed the pre-orders to begin, and I got mine in (through the Apple Store App) after a few fruitless attempts and minor frustration. I decided to order my wife's iPhone through AT&T to see if it was any easier, and I was able to get it ordered pretty swiftly through the AT&T Upgrader App. I got my confirmation emails right away, and all is good in the hood, as they say.

This morning, I awoke to see that my iPhone has shipped. It has already transitioned from Shenzhen, China to someplace in Hong Kong and delivery date is set for Friday, October 14th.

The AT&T order is causing more concern... it still shows the order as 'Processing' and 'Backordered', but many who ordered through AT&T are in the same boat, so I'm not worried too much.

This is going to be a long week.

**UPDATE**

It is 10:21 pm and after checking my order status... The phone is now in Anchorage Alaska! Only almost just 4,000 miles away. Same continent... I'm hype.

My Apple Experiences

Since the news broke yesterday about Steve Jobs' passing, I have been reflecting about how truly amazing the gifts are that he gave to the world. This led me to think about my first experiences with a Steve Jobs created device.

As I'm sure many others first time is similar, my first time using an Apple product was in elementary school, playing Oregon Trail. It was 3rd grade for me, roughly 1990, and I'm not even sure which model of Mac it was, but every classroom had a Mac computer... this was my first experience with any computer, actually.

Around 1992, our family got it's first computer, which was a Windows PC (well actually, DOS to start out,) I always wanted another Mac like we used in school, but they were too expensive.

Throughout the rest of my time in school I worked with mostly Macs until Jr. High, which was filled with mostly PCs (this was roughly 1994.) They did have a few Macs in the computer lab, but due to the PCs lower price scheme, Windows machines were obviously dominate in many school districts.

I graduated in 2000 and started going to college in 2001. I remember late 2001, one of my friends who was deep into Apple products started raving about a little thing called an iPod. This was around the time when Napster was at it's peak, so digital music was becoming 'the next big thing.' He got one the second he was able to and loved showing it off. I found it pretty cool, but it would only work with Apple computers and it was expensive, so I simply looked at it as one of those high-tech, high priced items that were a luxury I would probably never get a chance to take part in.

It wasn't until early 2003 that I finally jumped on board the iPod craze, when it got it's first redesign with the scroll wheel and ff/rw/play/pause buttons right under the screen. I was hooked. In fact, this one single product made me fall head over heels with Apple and in 2004 I got my very first iMac (The iLamp.)

From 2003 up to 2008, I had purchased 6 different iPods (mostly because I was clumsy and kept dropping them,) Besides the iPod I got in 2003 I also got the 1st majorly redesigned iPod with only the scroll wheel, I got the 4th generation (which was pretty much the same,) I got the black video iPod, I got the iPod Shuffle Clip and in 2008 I bought a first generation iPod Touch from a friend who upgraded to the iPhone.

Speaking of the iPhone... the minute I saw it, I wanted it, but it was far too expensive and wasn't a necessity, so I had to hold off, but the second I got an iPod Touch, it was only a matter of my current phone's contract to run out before I was going to absolutely get an iPhone.

October 2009 was when my phone's contract ran out and that exact day (Columbus Day,) I went to the AT&T Store and got myself a brand new iPhone 3GS. I sold the iPod Touch to a friend, and haven't gotten an iPod since then... the iPhone has become my iPod. Next Friday, I will be getting the iPhone 4S, and my next computer purchase will more than likely be a MacBook or an iMac.

I have also gotten an iPad when it came out, an iPad 2 when it came out this year and last Christmas I got an AppleTV (all of these are already highly chronicled in this blog, and I love them all.)

RIP Steve Jobs

It was announced today that Steve Jobs has passed away due to complications with the cancer he has been battling for years. He was 56 years old, and he was taken away far too soon.

In history books of the future, his name will be alongside the likes of Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Henry Ford and Alexander Graham Bell as one of the most brilliant innovators the world has ever seen. His genius was infectious, his will was strong and his mark will remain branded on humanity forever more.

I am grateful to have been alive to see so many of his visions bear fruit.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs, you've changed my life and you've changed the world. You will not be forgotten.

SIRI

The Siri Assistant is one of the most exciting features of the new iPhone 4S. In many ways it is a rehash of technology that has been done before, but in many other ways, it is quite revolutionary, in fact, I believe the 'S' in iPhone 4S stands for Siri (Apple has not defined the 'S' as of yet.)

Let's do some background. Siri was a spin-off of a company called SRI International, which is an offshoot of a DARPA funded project that some say is the largest artificial intelligence project ever launched. It doesn't specialize in voice recognition persay, it specializes in interpretting the meaning behind what you say.

Siri eventually wanted to use this technology for consumer use and they developed a 'personal assistant' app for the iPhone. This app could understand 'normal' english questions and commands and find things such as movie times, directions, nearby gas stations, and also do things like make reservations to a restaurant, all hands-free. It was quite impressive and shortly after the app's release, Apple made a move to buy Siri and in April of 2010 they made the deal final.

Apple had grandiose plans for Siri and decided to fully integrate the Siri personal assistant technology into their upcoming iOS, not only connecting it to information like movie listings, but also tying it into various apps.

Nuance, a company who has long been involved in voice recognition technology specifically, is being coupled with Siri, which then interprets the words and takes action. With these powers combined... the Siri digital personal assistant for iOS is born.

To give you an example of some previous attempts of this sort of technology, you could actually look no further than Apple itself. In iPhone 3GS, voice control features were added, and they worked somewhat decently. You could press in the home button and say something like "Call Mom... Mobile" or "Play album...Abbey Road" and it would do it, but beyond a few simple parsed phrases, it was useless. I highly doubt many people did actually use it except to show it off once or twice.

Some companies have similar programs integrated within their devices, but for the most part you still have to remember a slew of specified commands, and cannot speak naturally or it will have trouble understanding you. The Siri Assistance is not perfect either, but it seems pretty remarkable at understand your everyday speech and interpretting it.

For an example of this technology, let's say you wanted to find out what the weather was going to be like today. You could ask Siri in multiple different ways and it will bring you the same info. You could say "What's today's weather forecast?" or you could ask "What will the hourly temperature be?" or even "Will I need an umbrella today?"

It doesn't stop there. Siri is connected to a service called Wolfram Alpha, which can calculate and give you information about almost anything. If you were to ask it "How many days until Christmas?" It would give you the answer right away. You could ask "Who is Chester Copperfield?" and it will tell you that he is a character from the movie Goonies.

There are unlimited possibilities for what info you can ask it to get for you, and instead of turning on the phone, opening up an app, searching for info, finding an article, etc...etc... you could technically ask it a question without pulling the phone from your pocket and have the answer in the time it would have taken to turn on the phone.

That is great and all, but those things could be done with the Siri app alone... the integration into Apple's iOS is what makes Siri even more powerful.

Siri has connections with numerous apps in the iPhone, including SMS, Mail, Calendar, Reminders and more. This means that you can compose text messages or emails by dictation and then send it out, no fingers needed (well maybe one finger needed to press the home button.)

You can tell the phone "Remind me about the football game tomorrow at 7 p.m." and it will set a reminder. You could say "Please schedule a meeting for July 13th at 2 p.m." and the phone may talk back saying 'You already have an appointment scheduled for July 13th at 2 p.m., shall I still schedule meeting?" and you can answer back, "No, move meeting to 4 p.m." and it will move the meeting.

It also retains information and learns the more you use it. Here's an example given during the presentation, Siri was tasked to read back a text message that just came in which said 'When do you want to go out to dinner?'... Without responding, Siri was asked 'Do I have anything on Friday?' Siri responded with 'No, you have no appointments for Friday?' without telling it anything else, the presenter then said "Ok, reply... how about Friday?" and Siri automatically composed a reply text message that said 'How about Friday?' he could then either hit 'send' or tell it to send.

Please note that Siri is still in 'Beta' phase, which means it will only get better, but starting next Friday, I will have a chance to test it myself.

Introducing... The iPhone 4S

As many expected, Apple has pulled the veil off of their latest iPhone creation, and it looks pretty similar to the iPhone 4. The reveal left many disappointed, as they were expecting a totally redesigned phone with a bigger screen, but there are just as many people seeing the 4S as a very substantial upgrade.

I compare this release of the 4S to the iPhone 3GS release, although not a totally new phone it greatly improves upon it's predecessor. Luckily, I jumped on the iPhone ship when the 3GS came out, so I am in the 'S' cycle... I look at it like this. The iPhone 4 came out and had some problems with the antenna and proximity sensor, etc... so now that my 2 year contract is up, I end up with a much faster version of the iPhone 4 with all of the bugs worked out.


Let's talk about the 4S in depth, shall we...

Physically, the iPhone 4S seems identical to the Verizon iPhone 4. No bigger screen, no elongated home button, same glass on the front and back and all buttons in the same place.

Internally, there are some vast differences:

- First, the antennas have been moved around and new antennas added to make sure there is not a repeat of 'AntennaGate.'

- Second, this is now a World phone, meaning there doesn't have to be 2 different versions for each carrier.

- Third thing is the A5 chip, which is also used in the iPad 2. This creates extremely higher processing power and should make the 4S noticeably faster than the 4 and insanely faster than my current 3GS.

- Also notable is the increase in storage space. Along with 16 and 32 gigs, Apple is offering the 4S in 64 gigs as well.


These changes may be enough to win over some, but the biggest features come about in the software upgrades included in iOS 5.

- Cards App... Ok, this may not be a huge deal for people, but it's kind of neat. This app allows you to create cards using your pictures or whatever design you wish, and for $2.99, Apple will print the card and mail it out for you.

- Find My Friends App... This is another nifty new app, let's say you and some friends go to an amusement park and decide to go separate ways to ride different rides. With this app enabled, you can see where your friends are at, making it easy to meet up. There are numerous other uses to this as well... use your imagination.

- iCloud... This service pretty much automatically uploads a lot of your data to Apple's 'cloud' and allows you to access it from any of your iOS devices. This should be nice in saving storage space.

- iTunes Match... While there is going to be 5GB of free storage, this is pretty much going to be a subscription service where you can store all of your music on Apple's 'cloud' and you will have access to all of your music at anytime (not sure if Apple will stream the music or if you need to download it.) This will be a nice feature, again, saving you a lot of storage space.

- Much More... There are supposedly over 200 other features in iOS 5, including a Reminders App, swipe gestures and more.


This sounds like a lot, but the icing on the cake is a new feature that is integrated into the entire iOS, and that new feature is 'Siri' a digital personal assistant.

To sum it up, Siri is a voice recognition & artificial intelligence program that understands normal conversational questions and quickly provides you with answers. It also can act as a personal assistant, going as far as checking your calendar, scheduling events, setting reminders, etc, etc...

I could speak about Siri for days, so I will leave you for now and create a separate post all about the Siri Assistant.


In closing... The iPhone 4S will be available to pre-order this Friday, October 7th and will be released the following Friday, October 14th. I am staying awake (or waking up early) on Friday morning at 3:01 a.m. to make sure I get my pre-order in.

Next week can't come soon enough.

My iPhone Saga... So Far...

It was a chilly day in mid October 2009 when my 2 year AT&T contract finally ended. I had been using a Motorola Z9 up until that point (which was basically a Razr in the form of a slider.) The phone was sufficient enough for my needs, it made calls, text messages and I could sort of browse the web... sort of.

With the onslaught of smart-phones beginning to truly dominate the mobile phone market, my intrigue into Apple's iPhone was at an all-time high. Announced in 2007, made better in 2008 with the iPhone 3G and improved upon even further in 2009 with the 3GS, the iPhone was the phone to beat.

My first foray into what would later become 'iOS' was in early 2009, in the form of a used 1st generation iPod Touch that a friend of mine sold me after he transitioned to an iPhone 3G. I was blown away by the device, the intuitiveness and the apps. It went with me everywhere, I had my phone in my right pocket and my iTouch in the left. The only issue was the fact you had to have wi-fi to use most of the apps and features. This is when I really hungered an iPhone.

Fast Forward to that chilly October day, Columbus Day to be exact. My contract had expired and I was finally able to change my phone from a Motorola Z9 to an Apple iPhone 3GS, and of course I opted for the 32 GB version.

I remember that day clearly, well not so much the 'work' part of the day, but as soon as work was over, it was a mad dash to the mall's AT&T store to pick up an iPhone. I also had to go get fitted for a tux for my wedding in November, but priorities are priorities and I went to the mall first. It was a simple transaction, they grabbed the phone, put in my sim card and I was off.

It wasn't until later that day when I got home that I really dove head-first into setting the phone up, adding apps, adding contacts and testing it's capabilities. It was finally a reality... I had wanted an iPhone since the first one was announced in 2007 but didn't have the funds at the time, by 2008 I already had the Z9 and it's contract. 2009 was a great year!

Since I got the phone, it has gone with me everywhere, including in the shower, (after being wrapped in no less than three zip-lock bags.) I have done everything I could with the phone, including having it jailbroken for a while (until iOS 4 provided most of the things I was jailbreaking it for.) I fall asleep with the phone by my side every night.

I couldn't imagine ever going back to a regular dumb-phone, and through these two years, I've also played around with competition such as Android and HTC phones... and maybe because I'm so far embedded into Apple's world, but I don't think any other smart-phone out there can hold a candle to what Apple brings.

Fast Forward again to tomorrow's Media Event (I'll skip over the whole iPad thing... I've already written plenty of posts regarding my iPad Saga.) A new phone (or beefed up iPhone 4) will make an appearance, and I believe the biggest selling point is going to be The Assistant, which will successfully take voice recognition and artificial intelligence to the next level (or so Apple hopes.) Regardless of the announcement, I'm going to be getting a new iPhone, and unlike my previous attempts to acquire Apple products, I'm ordering it online, which should hopefully ensure I'll get one.

Tomorrow... It's Only a Day Away

Excitement is reaching it's peak... Apple's 'Let's talk iPhone' press event will be kicking off tomorrow at 1 pm eastern and will answer all of the questions that speculators have been debating back and forth since last year.

Judging by the evidence presented, it is very likely that Apple will be releasing an updated iPhone 4 (called iPhone 4S,) and offer three storage sizes, 16GB, 32GB and 64 GB, while the current iPhone 4 may get a bump down in storage (8GB) and be offered at the $99 price point. It doesn't look hopeful that Apple will release a redesigned iPhone 5 at this event, unless they have been absolutely amazing at preventing any info from being leaked.

Personally, since I've been using the iPhone 3GS for two years, I will happily get an updated iPhone 4. However, if I had been using the iPhone 4, I probably wouldn't upgrade, but that's just me.

I am actually glad that they aren't redesigning the phone using the 'teardrop' design... I never liked it and feel that it would not be as balanced when using it sideways (although it's hard to say since I haven't had it in my hands.) I like the current form-factor and I don't even mind the screen size. Many have been saying that if it's not redesigned or if the screen is not bigger that they will get an Android phone instead. That's ridiculous. Try as you may, even with Apple just offering a spec boost, the intuitive nature of the iPhone far outweighs what Android devices bring to the table. (*editor's note... in my opinion.*)

I am excited as hell to get the new iPhone... As I said earlier, I've been using the 3GS for two years, so I missed out on the iPhone 4 features like the retina display, the front facing camera, and the increased processing power. Add on the 8 mp camera boost, the even-more increased processor, the higher storage and the new 'Assistant' voice recognition software and I'm going to be a happy, happy camper.

Speaking of The Assistant (which is still a rumor, but seems very likely to be announced tomorrow,) I think this will absolutely be a game-changer. The potential of this software implemented into iOS will take us one step closer to living in a futuristic Star Trek world.

I've toyed around with both the Dragon Dictation by Nuance, and Siri Assistant apps (the two companies who will be instrumental in Apple's 'Assistant',) and have found that the voice recognition works extremely well... not perfect, but very well. There are limitations to these apps, and I imagine that Apple will figure out ways to make everything cohesive and intuitive.

With the Siri app, it already does a number of things well and I am positive that they will make the transition into iOS, such as finding directions, pulling up weather info, booking hotels or taxis, and a slew of other things. It was unable to get me store hours when I asked "What are Target's hours?" and it could not give me sports scores when I asked "What is the score of the Notre Dame and Purdue game?" I imagine that Apple will work this software to the point you will be able to ask it almost anything and it will find the answer somehow. Plus, you will be able to use speech-to-text whenever a keyboard pops up, which will make sending texts while driving much more safe. There are numerous other uses I can imagine, but it's anyone's guess what Apple will say tomorrow.

All I know is that I'm hype.

Apple Update

It's been a while since I last updated this blog, but there has been some recent excitement from Apple that I wanted to write about.

Let me start by saying that I still have an iPhone 3GS and my 2 year commitment expired just this past July, which is why I didn't jump on board with the iPhone 4. My plan was to get the new iPhone when it was released in Summer.

Unfortunately, Summer has come and gone and there was no new iPhone to speak of. Plenty of speculation and rumors of course, but no word from Apple at all.

Well, we are now nearing October, and invites have been sent out for a 'Let's Talk iPhone' press event, which will take place on October 4th at Apple's campus. According to sources close to the matter, the new iPhone will be released October 14th.

It is still highly debated if Apple will simply release an iPhone 4S or an iPhone 5, or both. According to parts manufacturers it appears that the release may be just iPhone 4S which will carry a similar look to the iPhone 4, but feature internal enhancements such as faster processor, 8 MP camera, and an overhauled voice command system.

Evidence of an iPhone 5 has only come in the form of case-manufacturers who have been working off of a 'supposed' leaked document which shows a redesigned iPhone that has a tapered appearance, reminiscent of a MacBook Air when closed.

We will not know for sure what Apple has in store until next Tuesday, when new iPhone(s) will be announced, iOS 5 will be released, and possibly an iPod refresh will occur as well. I can't wait... I'll definitely be pre-ordering the second I am able to.

Bring Back My Fries!

I'm absolutely frustrated that Wendys is sticking with these new 'fresh-cut' fries... I figured by now that they would revert back to the original fries, but alas, they haven't. I say again, there was nothing wrong at all with the old fries, and if they wanted to introduce these new fries, they should have offered both options. It's ridiculous.

According to some survey I read somewhere (which is far from scientific and easy as pie to skew,) Wendys new fries top McDonalds fries in taste, but I say that's bullshit.

Fuck Wendys! Fuck Surveys! Fuck it all! I'm still boycotting Wendys, it's been since April and I don't plan on going back anytime soon. Fuck em!

6 iPads

At last count, I had bought 5 different iPads since March 2010. I can now add one more to that total. I was finally able to find an iPad 2 for my wife (as an Easter gift.) The funniest thing about it is the iPad I got for her is a White Verizon 32 GB, which is the exact same model, color and carrier that I got for myself on the iPad 2's release weekend (which I took back because I wanted black.) So suffice to say, almost everyone in my immediate family now owns an iPad. We were joking around that we should get together on Sundays to have an iPad Roundtable at my Mom's house, and although we laughed, I'm starting to think that might be a good idea. I'm definitely down to do it because it sounds fun and educational. Will let you know how it goes.

Too Many Words

Looking back through some of my old blog posts I realize that I type too many words and don't post enough pictures. People can tolerate some words, but overall they just want fascinating pictures and quick little blurbs. I'll have to start doing that more.

This is a cartoon picture of a laughing hyena. ha-ha... yes, very funny.

The perfect Waitress.

Umm... that's all I got for now. Whatever.

3D

Recently it seems that 3D Films (and to a lesser extent, TV,) has really gone from fad to mainstream. Anyone over the age of 30 probably remembers when a slew of horrid 3D films sporatically came out and everyone donned those blue and red glasses. The effects were pretty neat for the time, but it was simply a fad.

Nowadays, technology has given 3D new life, we now have glasses that moreso resemble sunglasses, and the 3D effect is pretty awesome. Director James Cameron has recently stated that he believes 100% of movies will be 3D within the next 5 years. If the technology becomes such that we don't need glasses (and that is already becoming a reality, i.e. Nintendo 3DS,) then maybe there is a chance that everything will be shot in 3D.

I have not totally embraced all of this 3D entertainment just yet. I have seen a couple 3D movies and yes, I enjoyed them, but then again, I have seen thousands of 2D movies and enjoyed those just as much. The higher ticket prices for 3D movies vs. 2D movies is a huge factor that keeps me away from the theatre, and I don't particularly like watching movies with sunglasses on.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about the next step in entertainment... we went from silent black & white films, to audible black and white, to color, to better color, to HD and now to 3D. As James Cameron believes, 3D could very well be the next step for films and television, but I am not in a big hurry to buy a new TV and start wearing glasses whenever I sit down to watch some Two and a Half Men, or Football. Maybe that's just me though.

My Take on Wendy's New Fries

I am very critical when it comes to fast food french fries...I am picky about fries in general, but since I eat fast food fries more often than any other fries, I keep my standards high.

Before Wendy's adopted these 'new' fries, my favorite fries were McDonalds at #1, Wendy's at # 2, Chick-Fil-A's waffle fries # 3, Arby's curly fries # 4, and as for Burger King...well, I never liked them anyway.

Last month or maybe two months ago, Wendy's decided that they wanted to do these 'natural-cut' made of 'russett potatos' and seasoned with 'sea-salt' fries that were radically different than their previous fries. The change was sudden and unexpected.

At first, I thought this sounded kind of interesting and figured that these would be in addition to the regular fries on the menu, but when I found out that these were totally replacing their old fries, I got worried...and for good reason.

When these fries made their debut, I went out of my way to stop by Wendys so that I could try them out. I found them to be a bit greasy and over salted. They weren't as bad as Burger King, but they weren't good. I tried them again about two weeks later with similar results.

Wendy's was attempting to emulate a 'boardwalk fries' taste with their sea-salt and natural cut, but alas, they are far from boardwalk fries and even further away from their original fries which were perfect.

I just don't get it... As far as I could tell, there wasn't anyone complaining about Wendy's fries. They weren't nearly as good as McDonald's fries, but they were pretty darn good. I can only hope that the public realizes these fries aren't good and demands that Wendy's brings back the original recipe, until then they are second to last on my list of favorite fries.



**Note** The word "fries" was used 20 times in the previous blog-post

The Tale of 5 iPads

When I think back to my personal experience with the iPad, I almost find it ridiculous to think that I have actually owned 5 different versions in just a year. Here's the long story of how I came to own so many iPads...

When the iPad was first announced, I hesitated buying one, but when more and more information came out, I found myself wanting one badly. The actual day that the iPad was released was a Saturday and I couldn't help myself, I drove to Best Buy and bought one. This would be iPad #1.

My first iPad (which was named 'Silverback') was a 16GB wifi-only. The first batch of iPads were all wifi-only and the 3G models were expected to be released about a month later. I had a lot of fun with Silverback, and it was a whole new way to compute. I soon realized that even though it was amazing, I wanted the 3G model so I sold my iPad to a co-worker and decided to wait until the 3G iPad was released.

My second iPad (named 'C3GPO') was a 64GB 3G model. After I sold my first iPad, I was having withdrawal and couldn't wait until the 3G iPads were released. Once the date was set (which was a weekday at 5pm,) I decided to take a day off work and wait in line at Best Buy. I was probably 11th in line by the time I got there and stock was limited... I initially wanted a 32GB 3G iPad, but only 64GB was left, so I bought it immediately (thankfully, I found out that the 64GB was essential for me.)

C3GPO was my main iPad until recently. I used it every single day, even when I was on vacation and at work. I will never forget the time I spent with it. This was truly the device that started a new era in computing and I'm glad I was around to experience it first-hand.


Along comes 2011 and as is tradition for Apple, a new model of iPad was expected to come out. Steve Jobs officially announced the iPad 2 in early March and although it didn't have revolutionary changes, it offered a lot of nice upgrades. Speed and memory increases, a camera in front and back, white & black models and a thinner design were what made iPad 2 special, these differences were enough to make me want one.

I recently started a new job, so it was going to be impossible for me to take off work to wait in line on the release day of iPad 2, and once again the time of release was 5pm on a weekday. I worked until 5pm so I knew that it would be hard for me to get one, and sure enough I went to 5 different stores after work left empty handed. Some of the stores did have it in stock, but it wasn't the exact model I was looking for (Black 64GB 3G AT&T,) so I decided to keep trying.

The next day, I decided to drive 40 minutes away to Lancaster, PA (the nearest Apple Store,) and try my luck. They actually did have an iPad in stock, a white 32GB 3G Verizon model. Unfortunately this was almost the exact opposite of what I wanted, but with the last available iPad staring me in the face, I found the temptation was too much to take so I bought it regardless of the specs (and named it 'AlbiPad.') I figured that the white would grow on me, the 32GB would probably be enough and Verizon was just as good as AT&T. This would all turn out to be a mistake.

First, the color was unbearable. I tried and tried to appreciate the white bezel, but I just couldn't. It just didn't feel right having a white iPad. I understand that the original iPod was white and it worked fine then, but it just didn't look good to me on the iPad.

The second issue was the size. 32 GB could be manageable for most people, but not for me. My first (well, second...hehe) iPad was 64 GB and I think I only had 5 GB free by the time I got rid of it. I needed 64 gigs for all of my movies, tv shows and comic books.

The final deal-breaker was Verizon... I understand that Verizon technically has better coverage than AT&T, but I have AT&T on my phone and my first iPad, and I never had a problem with it at all, plus it's faster than Verizon. All of these things combined led me to take AlbiPad back to the Apple Store.

I found myself iPad-less again, but I was having fun constantly hunting for one at local Best Buys, Walmarts, Targets and the Lancaster Apple Store. It wasn't until the next weekend that my luck began to turn around again.

On Saturday I went to the Apple Store at 7:30am (the store opened at 8am.) I was about 20th in line and since they only had about 8 iPads in stock... I didn't get one.

The next day, on Sunday, I went back to the Apple Store, this time at around 6am. I ended up being 8th in line and by the time it came to my turn, the only iPads available were black 64GB wifi-only and white 32GB AT&T's... I refused the white model and although it wasn't 3G, I decided to buy the black 64 GB and named it 'Homie' (not only because it's black, but because it's wifi-only I'd mostly be using it at home.) I was pretty happy with my decision and justified that I really only used the 3G on my first iPad about 5 times, so I could make do without it.

It was less than a week later that I stumbled across a newly replenished stock of iPad 2's at a local Target. They had almost every model of iPad including the black 64GB AT&T and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to finally get the iPad I truly wanted. I bought it without hesitation and the same day I drove back to Lancaster to return Homie to the store.

This time, I am all set... My new iPad 2 (named 'SambiPad') was exactly what I wanted and I couldn't be happier with it. Unless something goes wrong with the device itself, SambiPad is all I'll need for a long while... or at least until iPad 3 comes out next year.



-- Posted from my iPad 2

iPad 2 Update - The Hunt Begins Again

Well, I returned the white iPad 2 that I got last Saturday... I just couldn't get used to the color plus I started to find that the 32 gigs wasn't going to be sufficient for my needs. I was also leaning toward the AT&T model, but it seems to be hard to find so the Verizon will still work for me.

It has been a few days since I returned it and I am definitely missing the iPad from my life. Nothing to shed a tear over, but I certainly am realizing how much I used it now that I don't have it. This all leads to me going on another hunt for the iPad.

I have already placed an online order through Apple, but the delivery estimate is 4 weeks, which would be somewhere around April 27th... ouch. In the meantime, I have already started looking in local stores and if I manage to get my hands on one, I will just cancel my online order.

The trouble is finding this elusive iPad 2. No store around has any in stock and finding one will more than likely be dumb luck, plus with 18 different iPad 2 variations (wifi only, 3g, black, white, etc....) it will be almost a miracle if I happened to stumble upon the exact model I'm looking for. What's even worse is that a few of the component hardware pieces are made in Japan and with the recent tragedy happening there, manufacturing delays are expected sometime in the near future. Apple is also expected to be shipping to 20-something more countries beginning next week, which may limit supply even further.

I have even considered going on eBay and paying a little extra for the convenience, but so far people are wanting more than $250 over-cost and I'm only willing to do about half that... although desperation may take over and then, who knows...

iPad... Finally

I was going to write a huge blog post, intricately detailing how I was waiting around the Apple Store for 3 hours on Saturday, and how I finally managed to obtain a brand new iPad 2, but I figured I would just say it.

Yes, I got an iPad 2... a White 32 GB 3G Verizon model to be exact. I was originally hunting a Black 64 GB 3G AT&T, but once the temptation was staring me in the face, I couldn't help it. They only had White Verizon 32 GBs and 16 GB wifi only models. I justified quickly in my head...

Verizon would be fine, I only use the 3G when on vacation and stuff. AT&T is supposedly much faster to use, although Verizon can more likely be used in areas where there is no AT&T coverage at all. The fact I wouldn't be using 3G much made this easy to swallow.

32 gigs is manageable, although I only had 4 gigs left in my original 64 GB iPad, it was filled with a lot of movies, tv shows and comic books which I didn't need to have on it anymore. In fact, having 32 gigs not only saved me $100, but it may help me focus on more functional apps and not have it cluttered with useless crap.

White... well, white was actually one of the harder justifications. Of course I had plenty of white iPods in my day, but I really liked the black iPods and then of course the iPhone and iPad were both black... it just seemed right. I figured if I really couldn't stand it, I would return the iPad within the 14 day return period, and either get the 64 GB Black or get a refund and wait until supplies are more readily available.

So that's pretty much it... I've had it for just a day now, so I'm still going through all the ins and outs before I give my full review, but I like it! The speed is noticeable in most aspects, and the form factor is much better, lighter and easier to grip (although still a little slippery on the back with these dry winter-hands.) The color is growing on me a little bit although I'm still not in love with it. I'm definitely having a lot of fun with it and hey, I just realized I didn't even mention the cameras. Well, they're OK... the actual camera quality sucks, but it's a cool concept... gotta find someone else with FaceTime.

iPad 2 Disappointment

6:15 a.m. - "ahh Friday..." I wake up, take a shower, and I'm feeling very excited about getting through work and running to the store to pick up a shiny new 64 GB 3G AT&T iPad 2. Although I can't get off of work earlier than 5:00 p.m. I'm very confident because so many different stores are selling it.

12:30 p.m. - Lunch time... I decide to drive around and plan my route for 5:00 p.m. Once I leave work I will go to the AT&T store first because it is the closest, if they don't have it I will spin around to Best Buy (about 10 minutes away)... if they don't have it, Target is in the same plaza... if they don't have it Walmart is 2 blocks away... if they don't have it another AT&T Store is about 30 minutes away... if they don't have it another Walmart is 10 more minutes away... if they don't have it... I'm fucked.

4:00 p.m. - I'm getting quite antsy... one hour remaining... I can't focus on work... I can't stop watching the clock slowly tick down.

4:45 p.m. - I'm cleaning my desk and getting everything ready for a quick exit. I talk to my co-worker and ask if there's anything I can help him with before I go, thankfully the answer was 'no.'

4:55 p.m. - Ugh... the phone rings... I have to talk to one of our drivers (I work at a trucking company,) and give him directions... I hurry through the directions and hang up with seconds to spare before it's time to run out of there.

5:01 p.m. - I finally slink away from my co-workers and head into a speed-walk toward my car... I throw my bag into the passenger seat, start up my car and I'm off like a flash.

5:09 p.m. - Arriving at the AT&T Store, which is in a mall-plaza, I notice that it is not extremely crowded and I see no line nor do I see anybody walking around with iPad boxes or even AT&T bags with large square boxes in them... This reassured me at first that there weren't many people interested in iPad 2, but now I have the horrible sensation that I might have missed it and in a sense it feels like a ghost town.

Going into the store, there is only one other customer there... very weird, I thought... I walk up to one of the clerks who is readily available and ask about the iPad 2... he tells me they only have one left, a white 16 GB model... For a split second I consider it, but I really want a 64 GB and I don't want a white version. I tell him 'no thanks,' and figure there will still be plenty at Best Buy and Target (I'm not very confident in Walmart.)

5:12 p.m. - I'm finally back on the road and ready to drive to Best Buy, which under normal conditions, is about 10 minutes away... Well I seem to be forgetting that it's rush hour, it's Friday, plus it's raining... traffic is freaking horrible. I decide on a back road which I'm figuring would get me away from all of this traffic but there must have been water flooding the road or something because it was stop-and-go almost the whole drive.

5:44 p.m. - I get to Best Buy... a 10 minute trip just took about 22 minutes and I'm getting pissed. I quickly park... it's crowded... I am worried now. I head into a quick-stride and enter the store, immediately asking the closest Blue-Shirt if there's any iPad's left. The Blue-Shirt uses his walkie talkie to ask if there were any left and is being told that there's only two 32 GB blacks left. My heart jumps... I quickly rationalize that I won't need 64 gigs... "Oh yea," I remember, "Are they 3G?" I ask. "No...wi-fi only." ...DAMNIT!!! I tell the Blue-Shirt that I'd hold out for a 3G and I quickly exit the store and jump back in my car.

5:51 p.m. - Target is a stone's throw away from Best Buy, so I park as fast as I can and run into the store, making a beeline toward the electronics department. I notice another man also hurrying toward electronics and he asks before I get there if there are any iPad 2's. I sort of heard the Red-Shirt say they were sold out, but my brain refuses to believe my ears so my mouth then takes over and asks again if there are any iPads. They just confirmed my worst fear that they are indeed sold out. I quickly turn around and walk down aisle after aisle heading toward the exit. Walmart is my next target (hehe)... but in the back of my mind, I am now fairly confident that I won't be getting an iPad today, the dread starts to take over my heart.

5:58 p.m. - Back in my car, I don't even start it, instead, I pull out my phone and do a quick search for the Walmart's phone number. Asking for the electronics department and upon hearing a cheery 'Hello!' I ask about iPad 2, and am being told that they are sold out. My heart definitely is sinking. I'm not really sure what to do now, I barely even want to try the other AT&T Store or Walmart... it seems pointless, I underestimated the Applephiles in my area, which actually does brighten my heart a bit, but amidst these events, there is not a smile in sight. I might as well start heading toward home.

6:23 p.m. - I will be near another Walmart soon and although I pretty much gave up hope, I figure there is a slim chance. I call up this Walmart and am being told that there is one left, a 32 GB white 3G. I thank the Wally-Worker and decide to go and get it, I will deal with just 32 gigs, and I will even deal with a white version...it'll be OK, it's my only chance. Of course I forgot to ask which 3G carrier it is.

6:31 p.m. - I arrive at this Walmart and rush back to the electronics department, I head to the clerk and ask about the iPad... He says, yes there is a 32 gig white Verizon 3G left. Oh geez... not Verizon, I really didn't want Verizon and when he said that I'm also saying to myself that I don't really want white, and then I'm thinking that I want 64 gigs too, so I told him that I wasn't interested. I leave and this time I know it's over... it was not meant to be... not today anyway.

6:40 p.m. - I'm back home and I'm pretty emotional. I just drove all over 2 cities looking for an iPad and here I am, back at home with no iPad to be found (well except my original iPad.) I'm really feeling pissed but I think I will do whatever I can to do to get one tomorrow. I am going to call around and see if any stores get shipments tomorrow... there is also speculation that Best Buy will be putting them on shelves on Sunday, to tie-in with a Newspaper insert advertising them.

12:02 a.m. - OK, I spent a lot of my evening moping around and being upset, but I am deeply invested to driving an hour to Lancaster tomorrow to the closest Apple Store. I plan to go when they open, ask around and if they say a shipment is coming, I will wait. I have also got phone numbers of Best Buy, Target, Walmart and AT&T Stores in Lancaster. Tomorrow I will be calling places like crazy. Keeping my fingers crossed.

iPad 2 Decision

Since last Wednesday's announcement of the iPad 2, I have been debating with myself if I would like to upgrade to the latest model or if I am content with my current iPad. There are pros and cons with the new iPad, and both sides of the battle have been fighting it out in my mind lately. Let's dive right in to what's right and wrong with the new iPad...


Pros:

- The new processor, which is supposed to make the CPU 2x faster. There is no way this could be a negative, the speed increase is going to benefit all apps and overall experience.

- The new graphics card which amazingly makes the graphics 9x faster. The demo that was displayed at the press event highlighted a graphics intensive game that was running as smooth as silk. I imagine there will be some great games and apps released this year that will take full advantage of this upgrade... I can't wait.

- iOS 4.3 is bringing some great new features, including expanded Airplay features, and a restructured version of Safari that includes many improvements to the current version.

- The cameras were expected since the week after the first iPad was released and although they are pretty low-end cameras, it should become handy in terms of Facetime and when you need to quickly shoot a video and all you have is the iPad.

- It's the newest, coolest 'toy' available... there's almost no better 'Pro' than that.


Cons:

- The redesigned look of iPad 2 is surprisingly making its' way to my 'Cons' list. The new look and the thinness are very nice but it makes my Apple Case useless, and it means I will have to buy a new case (and it certainly is NOT going to be a Smart Cover...ugh.) I hope Apple redesigns their original case or I'll have to wait for a third party case of equal functionality.

- Overall the changes aren't exactly revolutionary, and the original iPad will still be sufficient in most aspects for a long while.

- I will have to totally back-up and transfer files from my current iPad to the new iPad, which is a bit tedious and time consuming. Not exactly looking forward to that part.

- Ummm... that's about it actually.


With all things considered, I have indeed made a decision and I will announce right now that I AM going to dive in and purchase a brand new 64 GB, 3G iPad 2... I'm pretty sure I'll get an AT&T model, but that decision is still up in the air for now.

I will do my absolute best to get one on launch day (this upcoming Friday!) I don't get off of work until 5:00 p.m., but there is a Best Buy within a couple of miles of my work (and also a Walmart and an AT&T store.) They are all expected to be selling iPads on Friday, so my chances of getting one are pretty good.

My current iPad ("C3GPO") will be sold to my Mom, who recently bought one for herself, but was going to buy another one anyway because my Dad is actually the one who can barely part with it for more than a minute, he's totally hooked and by now he probably has a better score on Angry Birds than I do. Anyway, she loved playing with it whenever she had a chance and wanted to buy another one so she could actually use it... the timing was perfect.


I don't know if I'll post anything else this week, but I will definitely update this blog after Friday. I'll give you my purchase experience as well as a mini-review. See ya then.

iPad 2 Revealed!

Yesterday was Apple's press event for the iPad 2, and as many had hoped, Steve Jobs did indeed take the stage to a thunderous standing ovation. His first announcement was about Apple's recent successes which included touting the high numbers of iTunes accounts, iPhones sold, iOS apps and number of iBooks sold. He also mentioned that Random House has come to an agreement with Apple and they will soon begin selling their books in the iBooks store.

After showing a video of how the iPad has inspired a nation by becoming integrated within such institutions as schools and in the medical profession, Jobs made the event official by introducing the iPad 2, which will go on sale next week on March 11.

The next generation iPad has been redesigned and upgraded in many aspects, most notably being thinner, faster, having front and rear cameras, and of course coming in black or white. Specifically, the thickness will be only 8.8mm, and 33% thinner than the first iPad. Instead of the A4 processor, Apple is using an A5 dual core processor which makes the CPU 2x faster and the graphics will be an amazing 9x faster. There hasn't been word of how much RAM will be included, but the hope is that there is at least 512MB.

The iPad 2 will supposedly have the same amazing battery life and be the same price as the original iPad. There will be 2 separate 3G models, one for AT&T and one for Verizon... it will also come in non-wifi versions.

As far as accessories, an HDMI video out attachment was shown, as well as the "Smart" Cover, which is a magnetic-connecting, front-only flap that covers the screen. I definitely do not see myself buying one of these because I think the colors of the polyurethan ones just suck, and the leather ones are too expensive. I also think the magnetic connectors would probably scratch the surface eventually, plus it really doesn't protect the iPad much at all if you would accidentally drop it. If I do end up buying an iPad 2, I will be hunting for a third party case that gives me the same functionality as the original Apple Case.

The event was not done yet... iOS 4.3 was the next announcement, and the free update which is going to be available on March 11 as well, will include home sharing, a rebuilt Safari with enhanced performance, and improvements to Air Play, which will now allow video streaming to an AppleTV from websites and third party apps. The iPhone 4 will also have the ability to be a personal hotspot.

The cameras were discussed and of course, FaceTime for the iPad made an appearance. They also demonstrated a highly advanced version of iMovie and Garage Band, and both turn the iPad into much more of a creative tool than just a 'media consumption' device. It appears that you could potentially make a full length movie on this thing, plus compose amazing songs.

All-in-all, I am slightly impressed with Apple's new iPad. I wasn't expecting much, so I'm not disappointed in the least. I think the speed boost, the cameras and the thinner design are worth an upgrade if you can afford it. Personally, I'm debating if I should get one. I'm not in perfect shape financially, so I would have to move some things around in order to get one, plus I am definitely content with my current iPad. Then again, I notice more and more how some web pages load really slow and think about the quickness of iPad 2... plus the mere fact that you own the newest 'toy' is half the fun of actually owning it.

We'll see... I'll keep you posted.

iPad 2

The new iPad (a.k.a. iPad 2,) is waiting right behind the next corner, ready to jump out and attack the tablet computer market that it helped to create just a year ago.

Tomorrow, Apple is set to have a press conference which will more than likely be the unveiling ceremony for the iPad 2. Since Steve Jobs recently took a temporary medical leave from the company, there is no word if he will play host, or even make an appearance at the event. It will definitely be weird if the event comes to pass without the 'man in the black turtleneck' making an appearance on stage, but we shall see.

This iPad 2 announcement could be the next step in tablet computers, although it appears it'll just be a half-step... regardless, Apple has done a remarkable job introducing a fairly new device into the common household and they are very capable of continuing to lead the pack. This event comes on the heels of Motorola's release of their Xoom tablet, which many are saying is the first true competition Apple has faced since its' release. It is perfect timing on Apple's part to sway those who were undecided about buying a Xoom.

The speculated new features include; front and rear facing cameras, faster processor, higher resolution display and more memory. The redesigned body is apparently thinner, lighter, has a flat back, bigger speakers and possibly even a Thunderbolt port. There may even be a white iPad... I swear.

The front and rear facing cameras will give the new iPad the ability to use such apps as Facetime and Skype. The ability to look into the eyes of who you're talking to on a phone call combined with a screen this size and resolution will make the iPad 2 just like a device you'd find on Star Trek.

A faster processor, more memory and a higher resolution will definitely improve the speed and functionality of the iPad. It may also solve the website caching problems, and overall, it will make things much more smooth. The resolution is expected to be higher than the current iPad, but not quite Retina Display quality... not yet anyway.

Based on leaked third party iPad 2 cases and various other inside sources, the new model will reportedly be redesigned. The entire device will be thinner and lighter, which will make carrying it around even easier than it already is. It will also have a flat back, which will make typing on it more effective when it is laying on a table, instead of having it wobble back and forth. It will also feature larger speakers than the current version.

The other new feature, which is still a bit of an unknown, is a mysterious port which can be identified by a cutout on the side of various leaked images of iPad 2 cases. No one seems to know for sure what the port is for, people are speculating it is either an SD card port or even a Thunderbolt port, which Apple has recently announced for their new model of MacBook Pros and could potentially make an appearance in the iPad.

Overall, the new iPad might not be as revolutionary as the first model was, but it should provide just enough spice to entice new buyers as well as those who wish to upgrade. I think it will significantly increase the popularity of FaceTime because instantly being able to connect to anybody with an iPad, face-to-face, is pretty amazing.

I will do my best to update tomorrow with my thoughts on the iPad 2.

The Best 'Classic' Adventure Games EVER

- Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
- Maniac Mansion 2: Day of the Tentacle
- Leisure Suit Larry 1 - In the Land of the Lounge Lizard
- Leisure Suit Larry 3 - Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals
- Leisure Suit Larry 6 - Shape up or Slip out!
- Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Love for Sail!
- The Dig
- The Monkey Island games
- King's Quest 6 - Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
- Police Quest 4 - Open Season
- Full Throttle
- Grim Fandango
- Phantasmagoria
- Blue Force
- Star Trek - 25th Anniversary
- Star Trek - Judgement Rites
- James Bond - The Stealth Affair

I may be missing a few, but these are the absolute best... at least of everything I've played... there's still some I haven't gotten around to yet.

The Salvia Divinorum Experience

My friend, Swim, finally got around to trying out some Salvia Divinorum. He came over to my house and so I was there to watch over him and make sure he was safe. Overall, he enjoyed his experience.

He got two different kinds of Salvia from a random website, 5x and 10x, which are measures of their strength. He wasn't sure which would work best so he figured he would get both, start out slow with the 5x and if necessary try the 10x.

I cleared a spot on the floor where he wanted to sit when he smoked, and I moved away things he could bump into like the coffee table. I also turned off most of the lights in the room and turned off the TV so that it was completely silent. I didn't want to interfere with his experience unless he got up and started running for the door or something.

He sat down on the floor and took a hit of the 5x, inhaled for close to 30 seconds then exhaled. He told me that he sort of felt pins and needles throughout his body (like when your arm falls asleep.) He also noted that it felt as though a wave of 'tingles' were flowing through him, pushing and pulling him and trying to lift him. He told me that he wanted them to lift him, but they didn't. At this, he figured he didn't take enough, so he went in for another hit.

His next hit was much larger and he tried to hold it in even longer too, as far as I could tell it worked. After he exhaled, he laid down on his back and stayed there for about 4 minutes, barely moving, occasionally he would silently mumble and then suddenly he opened his eyes, looked around and just kept exclaiming, "Wow... I understand it now, Holy Shit!" He had a huge smile on his face and he kept looking around trying to gather himself. "I understand, I get it now." He also started humming some sort of melody that I didn't recognize.

Once he gathered himself a bit more he told me that he heard the melody play and then heard someone say 'come right there' or 'get right there' over and over again. He also said there weren't many visuals but he remembers something like staring at the top of a red umbrella as it spun. For some reason he said it felt like a Disney ride somehow, going around and around.

He went outside and smoked a ciggarette as he tried to gather himself further.

When he came back in, he told me that he felt like he was right on the edge and although he definitely heard things, saw things and had the feeling that he was on a Disney ride of some sort, he wanted to try out the 10x strength Salvia to become fully emerged.

Swim loaded up the water-bong with the 10x strength substance, took a big hit and held it in as long as he could. When he exhaled, he laid back down on the floor and stayed there for about 4 minutes again, pretty motionless. He suddenly sat up and I figured he was coming out of it. Without me saying a thing he said, "Yea." and he was looking around, totally out of it, kind of like a blind zombie. He mumbled a few other things but just kept looking around the room. I asked him if he was OK, he mumbled something else incoherently, picked up a water bottle, put it down, picked it up again and put it down. Then he laid back down on the floor. A few times he shifted his legs and a couple times he moved his arms around, just reaching into air.

About 3 minutes later he starting rolling around and going "Whew" and "Wow." He sat up again, looked around and this time I could tell he was taking in his surroundings and trying to figure out what just happened. He asked me how long he was out and I said that it was about 7 minutes since he took the hit. He seemed shocked at this, "Wow," he said again.

He was still smiling like a fool and seemed overwhelmed, but overjoyed. Later he told me that it was like a dream, he said that he definitely was gone and not in this reality. He related the experience to a Disney ride again, he just said he had the feeling of being on an amusement park ride but couldn't really explain how it felt and that it was like nothing he ever experienced before.

He definitely felt the presence of other people in his 'vision', and it wasn't fearful but the feeling of acceptance. He remembers that he was trying to open a door of some sort (not like a door in a house, but like a door on the side of an amusement park ride.) He remembers the 'other people' telling him that he just had to pull it up (the door) and they told him over and over how to pull the door open. Swim aknowledged that he knew how to open it up and just when he went to open it up, that's when he came back to reality and found himself back in my living room.

It took him another couple of minutes to fully come back to his senses. He told me that he had no recollection of those 7 minutes, he didn't remember sitting up, mumbling and grabbing the water bottle twice. He couldn't recall exactly everything he experienced in his vision, but remembered clearly the part about opening the door right before he came back to reality. He said it was a lot like waking up from a dream and you can only remember the last couple of seconds of the dream.

Overall, he told me that it wasn't a bad 'trip' and he will do it again. He said that he wants to try it out with music on the next time, or maybe the lights on and try to stay conscious throughout the trip. He was glad that he did so much research about Salvia and knew what he was getting into before he did it. He wouldn't recommend it for anyone trying to replace marijuana, or anyone who just wants a quick 'high.'

Salvia Divinorum

Salvia Divinorum... a plant, mostly just called Salvia. Grown in Mexico and possibly dating back to the Aztec culture where it was used for shamanistic rituals or for healing ceremonies. People often chew it or smoke it. The effects from intaking this substance vary from person to person, but many relate it to the psychedelic nature of mushrooms or lsd. Unlike other similar drugs, Salvia is absolutely legal in most countries and states.

Although potentially dating back to ancient cultures, Salvia has not received the attention of similar drugs such as marijuana, lsd or mushrooms. It is, however, becoming more well-known recently as it has become popularized by Youtube and celebrity usage (i.e. Miley Cyrus.) Many states have recently passed or tried to pass laws making this substance illegal, mostly pressured by negative media attention. Many people tend to think of Salvia as a substitute for marijuana, which is easier to obtain because of it's legality.

I have a friend named Swim, and it has been a long time since he has partaken in any kind of drug use, and he admitted that he experimented quite a bit in the past with various drugs, and hearing about Salvia has his mind very curious. He definitely wants to try this substance before it becomes completely illegal, so he is planning on purchasing some, either online or from a local head-shop and testing it out for himself.

Swim has done plenty of research regarding Salvia, has read countless online posts about people's experiences and has also watched numerous Youtube videos of people smoking it (although the Youtube videos are filled with a majority of idiots who do not respect their experiences and are using it like a recreational drug, which it certainly is not.) He will probably be going on his Salvia Trip soon, and I will be sure to post his experiences on here.

Happy Trails.

Job Interview Follow-Up

OK, so yesterday I had the job interview with my brother's boss. Got there a little before 3:00, before the snow got really bad... had the interview and was out of there.

The interview went pretty good, and according to my brother, it seems that they will hire me. I am now just waiting for the official word. I don't know the pay or when I would actually start, but things are looking good. The position he described seems pretty easy to me... working on the computer mostly, some phone work, etc, etc... Will keep you updated when I know more.

Job Interview

Today I have a job interview at 3:00... It is really a favor from my brother, he talked to his boss and apparently they are looking for a new hire, so I figured I would give it a shot.

I don't know much about the position, and in all actuality, signs seem to be telling me this isn't going to be the job for me. It has been about a month of my brother's boss and me trying to get together, but something always seemed to get in the way.

First, I couldn't get in contact with him, either he was out or I was out, so it was constantly me leaving messages on his voicemail, so we never connected. My brother talked to him a bit and eventually scheduled a meeting between us, and on the day of that interview, I got a horrible stomach bug and had to go to the hospital so I had to call it off.

Now it's two weeks later and I am scheduled to meet him today at 3:00 and of course we are being hit with 5-8 inches of snow, the worst falling between 2:00 - 5:00... great. I will indeed go to the interview, but it doesn't seem like this is supposed to happen, if nature is anything to go by.

Well, I'll see what happens.

Apple TV Review

I got Apple TV for Christmas, so it's been almost a month that I've been using it... figured now was as good a time as any to write up a little review.

The form factor is a plus, the device itself is a small black box which resembles a hockey puck and has ports in the back for the power cord, HDMI, optical audio, ethernet cable and a micro-usb. The only two I need is the power cord and HDMI.

The only other thing in the box is the remote control, which is a small, flat, metallic controller which has three simple buttons... unfortunately, the controller isn't the best and it's much easier to download the iPod/iPhone remote control app and use that.

Setup was hassle-free. It easily found and connected to my wireless internet. I signed on to my iTunes account as well as my Netflix account and within minutes I was testing it out.

Netflix worked well, the interface was easy to use. I watched through a couple movies and shows and although it worked great 90% of the time, every now and then it would stop and buffer, which is something that rarely happened when using my PS3. It seemed to happen more frequently on the Apple TV, so I'm hoping it was simply a case of slower than usual internet connection... I'll have to test it a bit more.

I also tried out the TV Shows/Movies feature by renting a free TV Show. The process was incredibly simple. I selected the show, waited for less than a minute for it to load, hit play and I was then watching a TV Show in HD quality. It couldn't be easier. I believe the prices may be a bit too high... a TV Show seems to generally be $0.99 for a rental and the movies are about $4.99. Figuring that RedBox and Blockbuster Express are just $1 a day for movies and websites like Hulu, ABC.com, etc... are free for TV Shows, it's hard to justify the prices. I guess if I'm really lazy it'll work out fine.

Apple TV also has Youtube built in, which is nice to have on my TV, but I've noticed that it takes a long time to load up videos that are over 3 minutes long... I got impatient waiting for a video that would probably load up instantly on my computer. Oh well.

Another great feature, which I'm hoping they expand in a future update, is AirPlay. Basically AirPlay allows you to instantaneously project a movie, tv show, music or photos directly from an iPod, iPhone or iPad straight to the TV. This is an amazing feature and I've already used it a ton to watch shows and listen to music I have on my iPhone and iPad. It lets you show your photos, but not your own videos, which is something I hope gets updated soon. It also doesn't allow you to stream 3rd party content, such as website video, etc... All in all though, it is a very nifty feature.

There are some other features of Apple TV which I haven't messed with too much like podcasts and Flickr, so I can't speak too much of those. I am hopeful that Apple will open up the software a bit and allow apps to be downloaded. It has been a much speculated feature that would make Apple TV a million times more powerful. [fingers crossed.]

Overall, I am very happy with Apple TV, if just for Netflix and AirPlay alone.

Woman Falls in Fountain While Texting

OK, just this morning I saw a news story about this Youtube video involving a woman, Cathy Cruz Marrero who was in a mall, texting while walking and she accidentally falls into a fountain. Pretty friggin' hilarious, right?! You bet your ass it is!

Well anyway, this woman apparently has no sense of humor whatsoever and is on tv crying and whining and threating to sue the individuals responsible for posting this online. Wah, Wah, Wah...

This lady ran into a fountain because she was foolishly in her own world, texting on her phone. Sure it could happen to anybody (well, maybe,) but what happened, happened... she should just swallow her pride and laugh at herself. These actions are making her look really bad, the fact she can't own up to what she did and is now on the media circuit crying about it is pathetic.

This is pure comedy, ripe for America's Funniest Home Videos... maybe someday she will see that and loosen up a bit, but for now, everyone just watch the Youtube video and laugh your ass off.

UPDATE:

Apparently this woman has just gone to court for separate reasons, facing five felony charges including theft by deception and receiving stolen property. Something that involves using a co-workers stolen credit card to purchase up to $5,000 worth of goods.

And so the story unravels further... interesting.

Dexter

Thanks to Netflix, I've finally had a chance to watch Season 1 of Dexter, which I've been dying to see since the show started, but I didn't have Showtime.

I must say, Dexter is an amazing piece of television... executed beautifully in writing, acting, directing and cinematography. Michael C. Hall was a wise choice to play the lead character, his creepy look with the subtle hints of sympathy play well together. The rest of this ensemble cast are perfect as well, from Dexter's sister, to his girlfriend, to his co-workers.

The stories are well written and the season arc of 'The Ice Truck Killer' is perfectly balanced within each episode. Of course these are based on the books written by Jeff Lindsay, which was the inspiration for the show, and unfortunately I have not yet read them, so I don't know how much of the books is preserved on the show, but if anything, it is very well adapted for television.

Watching through the first season has only gotten me more excited to watch season 2, and 3 and 4 and 5 and, and, and... well, however far it will go. Never in my life have I been rooting so much for a serial killer to succeed.

My Rating:
4 out of 5... damn near perfect...