gadgets

Yes, yes, I’ve been quiet. For the sake of consistency and SEO ranking, it’s not my preference to go a month without blogging; sometimes, however, thinking of content and writing it is more trouble than its worth. That said, I hope you had a good holiday and a peaceful start to 2010.

As you can see, I’ve updated the site design…again. This time around, kudos to the Thesis theme which, so far, is worth every dollar I spent to procure it. With the header image and color scheme, this place is finally beginning to feel like my own, as opposed to using stock themes that hinder customization. Anyway, I’ll continue to tinker because that’s what I do. But for the most part, this is how altruistic bullsh*t will look…for now.

I think I mentioned it in another post, but two months ago, I purchased the Motorola DROID, my first foray into the Android platform after using Blackberries for about eight months. It’s a fantastic, powerful phone, heavy and utilitarian in design, scalable and accessibility in usage. A clear “anti-iPhone” which was its immediate appeal to me; still, it lacks in apps (to be expected given Android’s young environment) and the physical keyboard, even after two months of use, doesn’t warrant much praise from my end. Nonetheless, I’m happy with the purchase. The screen is huge, responsive, bright and apparently made of steel (I think they call it Gorilla Glass…seriously…). Battery life is what you’d expect from a smartphone—prepare to charge it every night—but it survives heavy daily usage (email, calendar, browsing, music, podcasts, Twitter, Facebook…oh and phone calls). Google Maps with turn-by-turn voice navigation is awesome, so to speak; GMail works fine (though its layout and UI could use a tweak or two); and feel free to compartmentalize your life with the DROID’s three home screens. It could use two more screens, but whatever. I mean, I could root the phone and add up to seven, but that’s for another day.

I do miss the Blackberry keyboard on occasion; though BB’s OS is a bit dusty in relation to other phones, its hardware is absolutely perfect for writing. The soon-to-be-misses and I were cleaning the place a few weeks ago and, in the closet, I found my old Curve; I can’t front, holding it conjured up former Crackberry cravings. Once in a while, I play with the Tour I gave her after I got the DROID…best keyboard I ever used. But Blackberry needs to do a lot more than pump out the same phone every three months for me to come back. Besides, Blackberry wishes it had a browser like the one on the DROID (or any Android phone, most likely).

And I can’t front. The Blackberry made me feel old and corporate after a while. I needed a better balance between work and play, organization and banality, and the Blackberry, no matter how many light-skinned, breakdancing chicks they find and record for advertisements, still has a middle-aged, four-door sedan feeling to it (my four door sedan notwithstanding).

As for writing, well…that’s definitely for another day. Peace.

Tagged as: gadgets

{ 0 comments }

This week, I got into the habit to write in the Moleskine in the mornings before work. So yesterday, while writing, a thought popped in my head because, of course, when writing about writing, you begin to conjure up nifty ideas to make your writing better. Or more productive. Something like that.

So I figured, “Hey. I got this Macbook and 22″ monitor, maybe I can combine the two so I can write at my big, fancy desk.” I researched before (and during) work, which led me to Best Buy later that evening. Mission? To get a DVI plug to use on my monitor and Macbook (my PC uses the VGA output). Desired result? Use the monitor for both rigs without having to disconnect one to use the other. A simple task. Economical and sound in its logic.

Trip to Best Buy turned up snake eyes, to which, after grabbing another surge protector (because my other 8-outlet protector is filled and…well, never mind), I turned to the GF and said, “Maybe we should drive to the Apple Store.” There’s two in my area, but neither are particularly close. And this is a Thursday evening. T minus three hours before closing. So we decided to go. Why not? Sounded like a fun adventure.

So the GPS couldn’t find the store. Whatever, I printed directions from Google and it was a straight shot. Until we got there. It took about an hour to get to the town, which was expected. Another 30 minutes to find the actual store. It’s worth it, I kept saying to myself.

So we get to the church store and take in the aluminum, glass and polycarbonate ambience. I find the cord I need. Splendid. Of course, why should I drive so far just to buy a $20 cord?

And I figured, you know, for the setup I was attempting, I’d need a keyboard. And I’ve been in the market for a computer bag that could also carry my camera. And I didn’t need a mouse. Got one. USB. Straightforward.

After cord, keyboard, computer bag and Magic Mouse were purchased, we made the trip home. Got a little turned around due to construction, but still made it back in a reasonable amount of time. Oh boy, oh boy. I ate (yes, we went to the store without dinner), make some coffee, walk the dog and get down to business. Shutting stuff off. Connecting new peripherals to my Macbook. Fucking sweet.

And it is at this point (11:00 PM) that I go for the crown jewel (that’s after struggling with the Magic Mouse for a few). I turn the monitor over.

…

The cord is female. The monitor output is female. This shit don’t add up. (Fail number 1)

Enraged, I putter the house for a little while, then decide that this must be rectified before I go to bed. Which meant a trip to Wal-mart (now 11:30 PM). My GF tried to fight me on it, but she saw my anger and turned over to go back to sleep.

(midnight)

I was at Wal-mart number two (first one was closed). Mission? To find a male to male DVI cable. Much more basic than the Apple cord. No dice. What I did find was a lot of teenagers who, presumably, were there for condoms and Mountain Dew. Anyway, defeated, I drive home. Once there, I search Best Buy and find that my local store has the (new) DVI cord I need. In stock. Sweet.

(next evening)

Got the cord. Even got a hoagie while we were out, too. Dope.

Plug the males into the females and we’re good to go.

…

I bought the wrong Apple cord. I forgot to check the size of the port on the Macbook. Apparently, “mini DVI” isn’t small enough. I need a “mini display port” cord. (Fail number two)

Okay. Back to the Best Buy site. Found the right cord AND it’s in stock, albeit in another location (twenty minutes away…no big deal). Ah, but I’ve learned a lesson. I order it through the site to pick up at the store. Dope.

…

The “Item not in stock” email arrives at my BlackBerry twenty minutes later (Fail number three).

Which brings me to the present. My GF will be at the job tomorrow working overtime. As for me? I’m going back to the Apple store (Fail number four pending).

So is there a moral to the story? Well, this all started because I wanted to write. And this adventure, or ongoing saga, has precluded that because my incessant fails need resolution. Could all of this been avoided with some research and delayed gratification? Sure. But how the fuck will that help me now? I got a useless cord in my possession and the ONLY place that has the right one is the Apple store. So there’s no real moral. I’m full of fail and I’m determined to win (even in defeat).

Tagged as: gadgets

{ 0 comments }