Monday, March 30, 2009

iTouch, iLove

Is it normal to be infatuated with an electronic gadget? To love it so much that you want to marry it?

Purchased just last Friday, a gush of love quickly developed as I stroked the face of the Touch, taking me completely by surprise. It reminded me of the early stages in a relationship. I don't want to go anywhere without it, and I think about it night and day. I need to touch it all the time. I wake up excited because I get to be with it. What beautiful music will you tickle my ears with, and what amazing videos will you play to dazzle my eyes? This thing gives, gives, gives, and I just take, take, take -- without any of the guilt.

My friend, Mickey, has the iPhone, and has always spoken very highly of it. Both of my bosses have an iPhone. I didn't really understand the draw until now. I concede: You are all right, and if I wasn't under contract with Verizon, I would buy the iPhone in a heartbeat. My patience will have to be tested a little longer. Until then, the iTouch is a more than adequate substitute. I'm pretty sure it does everything the iPhone does except make phone calls.

Did y'all know this thing plays music? I jest. Playing music is just one thing among many that the iTouch does and does well. It can act as a PDA which speaks sweet nothings to the anal organizer living inside me. I can download music and games directly to the unit, then later when I sync it to iTunes, it will download my purchases automatically. It has wifi, a Sarari web browser, clock, calendar, notepad, and calculator. The home page has shortcuts for Youtube, iTunes, Google Maps, Music, Videos, Photos, and Stocks. I try to stay away from the Stocks shortcut because it's always red and angry looking, but I digress...

There are over 1000 games -- many of them free. I've downloaded seven free different apps so far. The race car game was frustrating because I kept slamming into concrete walls. Besides, the dogs were a little frightened as I sat on the edge of the couch making circles in the air and shouting. I'm sure a more experienced gamer would have no trouble. Flixster is a cool app that plays movie clips, and will look up theaters near your current location. I can send and receive email. I can check Facebook and Twitter.

I could go on and on, but I'm missing my gadget with all this babbling, so I will go reunite with my new love and check in another time.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The Times They Are a Changin'

Below is a conversation I had with my mom yesterday. She's so cute with her cajun accent and sing-song voice:

Mama: Why was my newspaper so thin today? There was hardly anything to it.

Me: I'm afraid you're hanging onto a dinosaur. People are getting their news from the internet now. Don't be surprised if your paper bites the dust soon.

Mama: Well, how am I going to know who died? I read the obituaries every day.

Me: It may be time for us to revisit the idea of getting you a computer. The news is much more timely on the internet, anyway. By the time they print the paper and get it to your door, it's out of date.

Mama: I wouldn't even know how to work the computer anymore.

Me: Oh, yes you would. You'd do fine.

Mama: Well, we'll see. I really just want to know who died.
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Speaking of internet news, I feel as though I am overloaded with it most days, so maybe it would be a bad idea to introduce this 24/7 access to my mother. She already watches too much Fox News. It's not as easy as you might think to break an addiction to the news - at least for me. Once my blood pressure starts to go up, that's my cue that I need to step away. That's why I love Neatorama. When I become over saturated, I go to their site and find beautiful gems like this:

Poor cat. While not exactly possessing standard beauty, it still is very interesting!
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Found this youtube on Neatorama as well: Everything is Amazing Yet Nobody is Happy

The comedian, Louis CK, basically pokes fun at what a spoiled society we are. It was funny, but it also served to put things into perspective for me. We seriously need to stop and appreciate all the amazing technological advances we take for granted. It reminds me of times past when I would complain to my boss about the computer and he would say, "Well, we can always go back to the typewriter and triplicate forms." This would always make me appreciate my malfunctioning computer.
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My daughter wrote a wonderful post to specifically highlight the things during the week that brought her joy. This is a noble idea from a truly perfect daughter! I think I may have to copy her idea at some point. I just need to turn off Rush and O'Reilly first.