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July 29, 2008

I felt a bit of sunshine this afternoon when I heard on the radio that Bennigans and Steak & Ale went into Chapter 7--meaning the companies will be liquidated, not reorganized. Not that I'm happy about hundreds of people being unemployed. More that I see chain restaurants--particularly themed ones such as these--as a blight on the landscape. They've contributed to making almost every part of the country seem and taste like just about every other part.

Drive across the country. The level of homogenization is frightening. I see it all too vividly when I'm visiting my family in suburban San Antonio. If we go out to eat, we have hit chains because there are no other choices.

It's so sad.

Worse, the food they serve is wretched. Sugar and fat ladened. Pumped full of artificial flavors. Battered and fried. Eeech.

Of course later, I saw the nytimes piece which states that only the corporate-owned locations will close. Franchisees will stay open. So I guess my happiness at the removal of some blight might be a little premature.

10:36 PM | Comment (2)

July 25, 2008

I love Apple products. I don't love the company.

As their customer, I have no complaints. Having them as a client, that's another story. And from talking with friends who've worked for and with them, I can say that my experiences were mild. But they've been around long enough that no one who reads should really be surprised. So I'm amused by the NY Times article on Steve Jobs' health and the cult of secrecy, as the article puts it, that's grown up since Jobs returned. Nothing really groundbreaking. Just more carping from what seem to me are spoiled media types.

The writer seems indignant about having to speak off the record yet he still caved and had the conversation with Jobs. Makes me think Mr. Writer was more concerned about satisfying his personal curiosity than delivering The Truth to his readers.

I also teeter back and forth between amusement and annoyance as the writer wraps himself in indignation on behalf of Apple shareholders. Oh please. Apple's been pulling this shit for more than 10 years. If you don't like it, go put your money someplace else.

09:31 PM | Comment (0)

July 19, 2008

I just discovered that DirecTV is running the X show from SXSW on channel 101 this month. The band sounds great. Possibly better than any of the numerous times I saw them live in the 80s. And if you don't have the magic satellite hookup, not to worry. Something called Crackle.com has several clips. It's fun even if the vocals drop out coincidentally for each bit of profanity and racial slur.

From Crackle: X - Los Angeles

11:16 PM | Comment (0)

July 13, 2008

Thought I should update the iPhone 2 status. Ryan reminded me about the restore option in iTunes. Funny how you can forget the basics when frustration sets in. Anyway, wiping and starting over had helped. Contacts in particular behave more like before. I'm still seeing some sluggish responses when changing apps or typing but it's gotten better. Enough that I don't want to head into the tech voodoo required to go back to the 1.x software.

For what it's worth, my 72 year old father didn't see my previous post so he went ahead and updated his iPhone yesterday morning without a hitch. Now he's sending me tips on the new apps to check out.

12:42 PM | Comment (1)

July 11, 2008

I of course jumped in first thing this morning and installed the iPhone 2.0 update. Then ran into the well-documented server issues. Managed to get through and re-active the phone by 9:30. At this point, I've been using it for 10 hours or so. I am not happy.

If you have an original iPhone that's still running 1.x, leave it that way. Do not update.

My upgraded phone feels sluggish--scrolling, changing apps, typing are all affected. Using the Contacts app seems particularly bad. I've been in the All Contacts view and pressed one of the letters on the right side to jump down the list. Nothing will happen for two maybe three seconds. It's like using a Windows Mobile handset again.

I've also had two serious crashes. Launching the new Remote app just now caused the phone to completely reboot from the Apple screen--not just revert to the home screen as before. You have been warned.

At this point, I'm looking for info on how to revert to the 1.x software.

07:55 PM | Comment (0)

July 08, 2008

I'm a bit behind listening to the Fresh Air podcasts, which explains why I heard the June 30 show only today. If you think for yourself, you need to listen. Yes, the thought that Bush still could fabricate an excuse for attacking Iran is supremely depressing but the issues raised are too important to ignore. Hopefully it's just liberal alarmists. However, I am more convinced than ever that the Bush administration is guilty of war crimes and treason. (What else to call undermining the constitution?) George W--and Cheney in particular--both deserve long stays in prison.

11:08 PM | Comment (1)

July 01, 2008

AT&T officially announced the iPhone 3G plans today. A bit of quick math reveals that our bill would jump $40 a month to maintain parity with our current services. And that's not counting the handset purchases. Granted, you could argue that it's not parity since Rich still uses a Razr. However, he's perfectly happy with it and has resist all of my attempts to move him over to an iPhone. While it might not always be evident here, I do realize how spoiled I am. But come on, cranking the monthly bill up 33% just for the rather dubious benefits 3G benefit seems over the top even for me.

02:58 PM | Comment (0)