Revelations at the Bookstore

Barnes and Noble just opened in our town. This is a big event for me and family as we are avid readers, and usually one of us has our nose stuck in some novel. However, due to the fact that we haven’t had the benefit of a good bookstore in our town or within 100 miles of us, I had not been in a good bookstore for years. Why? Amazon.com, thats why.

The first area I visited inside the store was the photography and digital video section. I picked up a book on “lighting.” I thought “this will be helpful…” Much to my dismay, as I was flipping the pages I had awful memories of being in school, and being expected to learn by just reading a text book. My revelation was that there is few things I love more than a good novel. I can stand a good business book (in small doses) But “how to” books, no thanks. My brian just does not work like that. For example, in the last 6 months, I’ve have had the learn all the Adobe CS3 products for work. Was it hard? Yes. Was it rewarding? Everyday. If I was limited to a how to book when trying to learn those programs, I would be flipping burgers at the local burger joint as a replacement job.

This is part of what frustrates me about the public school system. It really seems like it is built around those that learn a certain way. All those who learn differently, they are labeled as “slow” or inattentive. That’s total BS. But, reality. This reminds me of the book “the dip” Ive blogged about it before. I wish that book was required reading when I was in 7th grade along with the rest of the “text books” they had me read.

Thats todays rant…

What are you loading?

Im sitting here next to my $900 gateway computer packed with all the best a PC has to offer, Vista, tons or ram, the works. Sitting here is about as peaceful as sitting next to a construction site. I have no programs running other than firefox, and yet the little hard drive is clicking away like Im loading my life-long history or something. What is wrong with this machine? Mind you I am not a computer novice, I have every “behind the curtains” windows program shut down to try to increase the proformance of my computer, and yet, it loads. Why…WHY!

I cannot even begin to tell you how refreshing it is to work on a Mac and have only the programs I need, running. I know, I know, not another “i love mac” blog, but I am becoming more and more convinced that I have wasted many hours of my life waiting for my PC to “load” frustrating.

I read an article today that I found quite funny. It reads like a press release from Microsoft, but in the opening few words it says how explorer 7 is “iphone like”. HA, so funny. It shows again how much Microsoft has rested on its laurels as far as technology. I for one am not a Steve Ballmer fan. I think he is a good corporate person but I would not want him as the face of my company. I am a HUGE Bill Gates fan. I think he led the world on a technological revolution that will probably never be paralleled again. I really hate to see him phase himself out of Microsoft. I predict that with the transition of Ballmer taking further control of Microsoft, it will be much like Michael Eisner’s disastrous job at Disney. Disney is still trying to recover from that PR nightmare. I would put my money on Bill Gates against such foes as Apple and Google any day of the week, but Ballmer I think would have a hard time overcoming even the weakest in the marketplace. He has no tact nor revolutionary vision, thus will be at least 3rd in the market in 5 years (just my opinion.) For the record, and not to sound to anti-Microsoft, I think that Google is falling into the same visionary slump that Microsoft is in at the moment. Anytime you think you are the best, and no one will ever match what you do, someone younger, faster, and less expensive will come along and dethrone you. Its the American way.

So in short, Mom, I’m sorry I talked you into that Vista machine a year and half ago, I only wish I would have had my conversion to Apple much sooner. Forgive me.

Your Son..

ET and President Bush made me…

This is a story how ET and President Bush forced me to buy Apple TV.

About 2 weeks ago, Nickelodeon started showing promos for ET. A movie that caused me great horror as a small child, and now has passed that same fear of long necked aliens to my progeny. My 5 year old was minding her own business watching a harmless episode of Sponge Bob, when all the sudden she screams in horror. An ET commercial had just played. This really made me think twice of what is on the TV and how it is effecting my kids. I’m not so prudish as to turn my TV off and force my kids to have to communicate with each other, but I don’t want my 5 year old afraid of the “Brain Guy (ET)” anymore either.

All of this coupled with the fact that President Bush gave me some money to “Stimulate” the economy, I decided it was both my duty as a father, and my duty as a American to buy an Apple TV.

I am officially an apple fanboy.

Let us count the ways…

5 ipods (2 shuffles, 2 Nanos, 1 iPhone)
1 MacBook Pro (Borrowed from SunRiver)
and now 1 Apple TV

We are just getting our feet wet with this thing, but so far I am quite happy with the results. I like being able to control all my media in one place, and being for the fact that I can now cancel my Netflix account (I loved netflix, but just could not watch enough movies a month to make it worth the money) and possibly now cancel my TV cable service, I think this will be a very good thing.

So far the Pros and Cons.

Pros

1. Easy to setup, so much so that it was delivered while I was on a business trip in New Orleans, and she was able to set it up with no problems.

2. Interface is beautiful

3. We now have control on what our kids see.

4. I’m cooler than anyone else I know because I own Apple TV and they don’t.

Cons

1. Its still a new technology so the movie selection is not huge. Netflix was the same way when we first signed up, now they have every movie you have every heard of, and 1 million you haven’t so im not to worried about this.

2. Apple is fighting with NBC at the moment, so the only TV show I care about “the office” is not available. Rumors are that they are close to a resolution, so im keeping my fingers crossed.

PS. Cathryn, I promise to Blog once a week, if you promise to upload photos to flickr at the same rate…Deal?