sure, delays are frustrating. no one likes being derailed, and nobody enjoys disruptions to routines. we are all creatures of habit, and when something intervenes our comfort levels get overturned and ire is inevitably provoked.
it’s understandable, but don’t blame the conductors. blame the rail. amidst the chaos and flurry of upset and attitude this morning, the caltrain conductors handled it all in stride — remaining helpful and considerate. most of the times these guys are as helpless as anyone else…things happen. be thankful that they are there to help when things go awry.
the hoopla surrounding iPhone day part deux has been pretty well covered. from server meltdowns to the confusion surrounding rate plans and upgrade eligibility, the day was pretty much packed full of drama. at the valley fair store, crowds were met with disappointment as some learned that they were not eligible for upgrade price, or could not purchase at the apple store because of corporate discounts on their AT&T wireless account. someone even had a seizure in line, which was a pretty saddening turn of events.
of course, skeptics abound — is 3G worth the upgrade? is the iPhone 2.0 software an improvement? are you going to upgrade when the 60gb version is released in two months?
well, the bottom line is the 3G may or may not be for everyone. for me, the opportunity to increase non-wifi data speeds was enough of a draw. here’s the recap thus far:
the plastic issue: there has been much controversy about whether the new sleaker (yet plasticy) backing is really an improvement. the debate centers around aluminum vs. plastic. it’s true that plastic is less classy, but the advantage with plastic is that it’s easier to grip. while i love the aluminum finish, the plastic finish feels likely to slip out of my hand.
buggy 2.0 software: sure, it’s fair to criticize the 2.0 release to some extent, but it is a pretty big overhaul. the apps show promise, but some of them miss. lightsaber? c’mon, really.
the good apps: hands down, there are some awesome apps available. remote is mind-blowing, not because of what it does, but because of what it suggests could be done. ok, it’s remarkable because of what it does, too. twitterific is great, but i’m anxiously awaiting a socialthing app. evernote may actually suck me in with their app. pownce put together an interesting app that allows photo uploading and uses OAuth to validate. just downloaded pandora, midomi, and whrrl — all seem interesting, but so far my experience with whrrl has been a little spotty.
of course, the iPhone has never been perfect, and the 3G is no exception. here’s a list of wants:
copy and paste — they improved this issue by adding an “email a link to this site” option in the bookmark tab on safari, but that isn’t the only instance that copy/paste would serve.
MMS — ok, come on…really? let’s get on this, ASAP.
video — qik has already proven that it’s possible, now all we need is an app to do the trick. hopefully, these crafty apps won’t be doomed to jailbroken phones because Apple refuses to approve them…hopefully.
GPS turn-by-turn directions — telenav is all over it, but i’m still chomping at the bit to get my hands on this.
these are software-based, and two of the three have been solved by developers already, so this gives me hope. any others to add to the list?
so, the news has hit. quentin tarantino has laid down the gauntlet and after years of interview mentions his WWII epic finally appears to be getting some traction. yep, you know the one he swore would star adam sandler and brad pitt? yeah, the 4-hour two parter? yeah, that one, only it’s been scaled back considerably.
it’s also the film that i (along with many others) assumed would never get off the ground. think along the lines of the vega brothers, casino royale, and countless others (ok, casino royale lived to see the silvery beauty of projected cinematic glory, but not with quentin at the helm).
every time he name-dropped inglorious bastards, he was always amidst “research” or “refinement,” but my gut impression was that this was another one of those qt things that would wash away over time.
either way, the script is out there (for now), and it seems fairly legit. i’ve been devouring it, and in my opinion, if it’s a fake it’s a damned good one.
there has been much discussion about the blatant misspellings (e.g. “heer” in place of “heir” and “Basterds” in lieu of “bastards” to name a very small smattering), and they are true. pure comedy, but true nonetheless. the enigmatic thing about quentin is that his misspellings may be legitimate mistakes, or they could be 100% intentional. who knows.
has anyone else read the script? i’d love to discuss.
[update with links] for those inclined to page through the script, someone posted it in two parts over on rapidshare. snap up part 1 and part 2, give them a read, and let me know what you think in the comments. if you missed out, drop me a line.
yesterday we woke up bright and early to take amelie AMEL•E to see WALL•E. after a night of socializing at the Pownce 1 year anniversary party, i was surprised to find myself so eager to jump up and get going. it has something to do with the way the girl lights up when she see’s that animated robot zip around, and i just know that the geek within is fueling that spark.
plus, i love pixar films. so, there’s that, too.
all of this aside, it’s been reassurring to be associated with so many geek girls in the realm of tech lately, from co-workers to colleagues. i was discussing this with a co-worker, and she shared how her parents used to give her gifts like electronics kits for birthdays, etc. if amelie continues to show this sort of interest, i’ll be sure to keep that in mind.
i know that as she grows older, she is going to have a slew of positive role models to look up to — from those involved in geek girl dinners to women who tech, the dedication to making this a priority is out there and i’m thankful for it.
but role models extend well beyond the tech field as well. as a mother, denise’s impact on amelie is much more closer to home. she is somehow able to juggle so many things — 100% mother, 100% student, and 100% professional. i’m constantly in awe. honestly, i can’t quite figure out where she gets the strength to do it all, but she does, and it’s truly inspiring.
so, while we were watching WALL•E in a darkened theater, i was catching glimpses of amelie’s reactions, and thinking about what the future will hold for her. after the film was over, which was excellent btw, we enjoyed lunch at cafe campbell and soaked in a pretty relaxing afternoon.
dee had plans to hit a spa with a bachelorette party for some much needed r&r, and i spent the evening with amelie, continuing to revel in her sense of wonder at anything electronic or puzzling. i just hope i can continue to foster her sense of wonder, while allowing her access to the things she needs in order to succeed.
a friend of mine has been playing around with iTunes lately, and has passed along several neat little tricks that enhance the overall experience. i’ve been a little pressed for time of late, so messing around with this stuff hasn’t been top priority, but i took some time to dig into this one and thought i’d share.
ever since iTunes 5, your music library has supported lyrics, which is super cool when you’re listening to music on an iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch, whatever…the problem is, who in their right mind is going to go through hours days worth of music, search for lyrics, hit command I, and copy and paste into the lyrics tab on a song by song basis?
no one in their right mind.
luckily, someone created a dashboard widget called harmonic — which when active will quickly search the web for lyrics to the song that’s playing, and update iTunes automagically. OK, this gets us halfway, but letting your music play for days on end could be tedious, let alone annoying if interruptions should occur.
another stroke of luck comes in the form of an applescript called needle drop (thanks, doug!) — cue this bad boy up and it will allow you to play a specific length of each track (10 seconds of every song in a playlist cuts down the process considerably).
one more thing. harmonic is far from perfect. in fact, it’s fairly flawed. another option that seems to have better luck at locating lyrics is a little app called GimmeSomeTune. despite it’s groan inducing name, GimmeSomeTune actually works quite well. it even pulls down album artwork, and plugs into last.fm, so it’s got that going for it, too.
anyways, spent some time messing around with this, and the verdict is that it’s well worth the time spent. train rides will now have an added diversion — reading lyrics to songs.
anyone else have some tips to share?
[update: i just noticed that in the description of the flickr photo i used, there is the recommendation of another dashboard widget called Name that iTune. i haven't tried it, but it could be worth checking out.]
last friday, Scott Beale of Laughing Squid stopped by our offices to get the grand tour. he snapped some photos, including one of me mugging in front of the lens (which is already garnering some good-natured ribbing amongst Currentians).
we chatted over a beer and lunch, discussed twitter, the evolution of the SOMA, and some of the fun things we’ve been floating around the office. he had plans for a drink-up that evening, but i had to scram back to the south bay for a previous engagement.
while heading to and from trader joe’s this afternoon, i luckily caught segments of ‘Atheism and its Critics‘ on NPR. the first segment focused primarily on dissecting the Richard Dawkins, the “new atheist,” and critics of atheism.
the second segment highlighted a documentary titled, “The Dhamma Brothers,” which follows a group of Buddhist instructors who undertake a program intended to teach meditation to institutionalized prisoners in Alabama. the prisoners took a vow of silence for 35 days while studying Vapassana meditation.
here’s the trailer:
the film looks good, but the concept in general is extremely appealing. for years i’ve been wanting to get into a more steady practice of daily meditation. dee’s curriculum has steered her in this direction of late, and the two of us have been tossing around the idea of going on a retreat sometime in the near future. this is not only a compelling use of meditation in our society, but also a reminder that i should be doing more.
[UPDATE] amazing. this is truly saddening, but the timing is admittedly very spooky. George Carlin has passed. in remembrance, give his “religion is bullshit” routine. classic. you’ll be missed, George.
i was lucky enough to see him close a set live with this breakdown of the ten commandments. one of my favorites:
