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December 29, 2008 Notes to self: -Loading a new, rare varietal into the espresso machine at 6:00 PM is a bad idea
12:43 AM
December 27, 2008 I've come to hate SMS or texts. If you have my phone number and I know you have email on your mobile, I've probably chastised you when you made the mistake of sending me a text. My hatred for the medium is simple. It's a closed system. You have to read and respond through the handset, unlike email or IM which work with any number of devices that might be handy. The way I see it, if you have a phone with an open protocol you're just being a lazy git when you opt to use SMS. And now the NY Times indicates that you're also a financial patsy. Seems the senate antitrust committee is looking into whether it's coincidental that during the same period when the national carriers consolidated into four, they all also doubled the cost of a text message. There seems to be no evidence that the carriers' cost to provide text services increased. In fact, the article makes a case for the incremental cost of providing text service to be almost nothing. SMS rides along on infrastructure required for the voice network. In other words, the carriers are charging us (twice btw, both to send and receive SMS) to use resources that have already paid for by our voice plans.
12:54 PM
December 18, 2008 Steve Jobs won't give the upcoming Macworld keynote. Apple won't be at Macworld at all in 2010. Geeks (and the press) gnash their teeth. I yawn and wonder why the company didn't make these moves a couple of years ago. Let's face it. The last three or four Macworlds have been downright boring. Oh sure, the iPhone intro was exciting. Guess what though. The iPhone isn't a Mac. The web and the proliferation of Apple retail stores rendered the Macworld Expo superfluous years ago. In retrospect, I'm shocked Apple kept at it so long. How can I utter such heresy? I've attended every expo since 1996 and the recent ones have induced snores. Last year, I had to force myself to Moscone. I glanced at the MacBook Air then wandered aimlessly for 20 minutes or so before leaving. Frankly if the shows didn't take place down the street and/or I had to pay to get in, I probably would have stopped attending in 2004. Years ago, walking the expo floor was key to staying on top of new developments in the Mac ecosystem. Today, all announcements appear on the web well in advance of the show. Just about the only thing you can't find online are all those pudgy guys wearing way too many promotional buttons. I'll miss dodging them about as much as I'll miss dining on Moscone Center pizza. Yum.
12:02 AM
December 14, 2008
I know, I know. Not the time of year to be buying gifts for myself. In my defense, the local Starbucks had it at an irresistable price. Marked down 40% to start. Then they had another 20% off sale through the 15th. And I've got a gold card, which means still 10% more off. It all added up to a screaming bargain. At least that's how I justified it while signing the receipt. For Rich, I rationalized it by replacing three machines on the counter with this one. And less morning mess because it doesn't require any extraneous filters, handles, tampers, spoons, etc. In the end though, it's all about getting a consistently-perfect shot moments after stumbling downstairs at 6 AM. Any purists still reading will no doubt already be tut-tutting. I get that to an extent. I've had a little semi-automatic pump Krups machine since the early 90s. I could coax nice shots from it, especially after getting a decent conical burr grinder. But the morning fog won as often as I triumphed. Now I only have to remember to put a cup under the spout. Hopefully I'll be able to hit at least 90% on that.
09:21 PM
December 01, 2008 December 1. Really? [insert Bill the Cat sound] Just 30 more days until the new year. Seems surreal. I'm not looking forward to the next month. Truth be told, I find December more trying than joyous. Never have completely recovered from working holiday retail back in college. My mother announced last week that she'd already finished all her Christmas shopping. My mind reeled. It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I wasn't completely sure what I was prepping for the big dinner. No way I could bring myself to contemplate the next holiday. Now that the gluttony is behind us, I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around the looming gift-buying, party-going frenzy. I'd really like to take a nap and wake up in January. |
