Please excuse the dust

June 30, 2010 in Life with 0 Comments

So as you can see, the changes have begun. I’ve found and installed a new theme, began to organize content and now working on adding some more features to the site. I’m also working on organizing and uploading pictures to my Flickr account and to go back to taking pictures on a more regular basis. So I ask that you “please excuse the dust” while I’m working behind the scenes to update and improve the blog.

I’m also back to writing, which I’m excited about. Writing has always been this thing that I’ve enjoyed doing, never dedicated time to and never really talk about. I know, that is as “clear as mud” but that’s truly how I’ve been when it comes to writing. I’m now working on some postings for July and trying to stay ahead of the curve so I can actually have content on here that is fresh and up-to-date.

Other than that I’m crazy busy with the business and keeping up with life. Please keep coming back and I hope that you enjoy the changes and updates.

Later,
- John

Changes

June 23, 2010 in Life with 0 Comments

Life seems to be ever evolving around me.

For some reason you assume in  your mind that at some point the craziness stops and some normalcy begins to set in. Just when I think that is going to happen – life seems to get turned upside-down and  we’re back to craziness.

I’m working on a new theme for the blog. I’ve defaulted to the new “Twenty Ten” theme that WordPress has included in their 3.0 release but I’d really like something a little more “custom”. I’m currently on the hunt for that.

In other news, I’m hoping to write a little more than I have in the past. I think that it is good for me to share the thoughts that I have with the internet, if anything to preserve them in time so ten years down the road I can look back and read some of what I was thinking and see if the future turns out the way I saw it back then.

I’m also making some changes in my life to better my health and I think that sharing them in an open forum (aka blogging and Twitter) will help keep me on track and make me feel like I have to stay accountable – you know, because I’m so famous and have thousands of readers and followers (end sarcasam). Seriously though – I need a little motivation with sticking to my changes and I think the internet will be a good tool for me to use and to track my progress if nothing else.

So, that’s my goal this week, to over-haul this blog and get moving on writing. Hopefully you’ll join me on this new adventure.

Later,
- JM

Upgraded to WordPress 3.0 Beta

April 5, 2010 in Technology with 0 Comments

So being an “early adopter” to most technology I decided to upgrade my production blog to WordPress 3.0 Beta 1. Go me. Also testing the new theme that is included. We’ll see how it goes.

Later,
-JM

The Sense of Accomplishment

March 8, 2010 in Life with 1 Comment

In my short life I believe I’ve accomplished a great deal; however, I accomplished something this last week that I was very proud of:

- I took two boys, 4 and 6 years old, to the grocery store and we all survived and made it back in one piece. -

I had the pleasure of watching my friend’s kids last Saturday while they went out on a date and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. I’m a single, only child, male in his 20s and many people look at me with their head turned slightly to the side with a questioning look on their face when I say that I’m “babysitting” two kids, 4 and 6 – like I’m crazy or something.

I’ve always been one of those people kids seem to like (good thing I’m not a kidnapper!). I have endless lists of stories of random kids latching onto me at the pool to keep from drowning, coming up to me when they’re lost or randomly talking to me. I say that I have a “parental gene” or something like that but to be honest it has never really been put to the test; until now.

Sure I’ve watched kids in the past but not alone or they were a little older or there was just ONE. This was going to be my first experience with two kids, alone and a trip to a grocery store. This involved a car ride, car seats, jackets, shoes, etc… I found myself quickly thinking on my feet and everything turned out just fine. I was so pleased when they stayed right with me in the store and were quiet for the most part. There was the whole asking for everything sugary in sight but just like any good parent would do I too was saying, “No, you can’t have that!”.

I have to say the only scary part is when one of the boys went for the door I about had a heart attack because it leads right out to a busy road. I think I startled the cashier when I burst out, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”… LOL. Other than that we were fine.

The evening went great and we all had a good time playing Mario on the Wii, watching movies and making crafts. By the end of the night I had the kids ready for bed when my friends got home. I stood back for a second and had a nice sense of accomplishment that all three of us survived the night. I know I had it somewhat easy because my friends do have two well behaved kids so I’m pretty fortunate.

Just thought I’d share that thought from my weekend.

Take it easy,
- John

I Discovered Some New Music

February 17, 2010 in Faith, Music with 0 Comments

Here is some music that lately I discovered and I really enjoy. I’ve highlighted some lyrics that stand out and have linked back to the iTunes store if you’d like to preview or purchase. I’ve discovered them various ways – worship at church, Twitter, Oasis House of Prayer in Michigan and friends. Each one seems to speak to me right now in my life – some bringing comfort and others making me think. Any thoughts? Feel free to share in the comments.

Carlos Whittaker – Rain It Down

Rain down on us.
Father, Rain down on us.
Spirit, Rain down on us.
Jesus, Rain down on us.

Carlos Whittaker – Jesus Saves

Your innocence has covered my shame. Your love has spoken me by name. And I have victory over the grave. You overcame. Jesus Saves…

Carlos Whittaker – We Will Worship You

Save us from these conflicts. Break us of our need of the familiar. Spare us any joy that’s not of you. And we will worship you.

Cory Asbury – Jesus, Let Me See Your Eyes

I was made for, I was made for love… Jesus, let me see Your eyes; let me feel your embrace, let me feel you all around me.

Cory Asbury (feat. Jaye Thomas) – My Beloved

He stands alone… He’s coming to rule, coming to reign. Jesus, Jesus!

Dean Salyn – He Is Yahweh

Who is He who makes me happy? Who is He that gives me peace? Who is He that brings me comfort and turns the bitter into sweet? Who is stirring up my passion? Who is rising up in me? Who is filling up my hunger with everything I need? Creator God – He Is Yahweh…


Misty Edwards – Favorite One

Jesus, here I am Your favorite one. What are you thinking? What are you feeling? I have to know. For I am after Your heart… I’m after You.

David Crowder Band – All Around Me (Originally by Flyleaf)

Take my hand I give it to you. Now you own me, all I am. You said you would never leave me. I believe you. I believe

Chris Quailala – Your Love Never Fails

I know I still make mistakes but You have new mercies for me every day. Your love never fails.

Matt Redman – The Glory of Our King

The Church is waking up now to be Your hands and feet upon this earth. Send us in Your power as we take Heaven to a broken world.

Night,

- JM

What’s the Buzz All About?

February 15, 2010 in Technology with 0 Comments

Well, if you haven’t noticed, Google has decided to throw its hat in the Social Networking ring by introducing Buzz by Google. If you have a GMail account you should now have it active and you should check it out.

I’ve connected all my other accounts that are available to integrate with Google Buzz and I have mixed feelings. I view this more as “closed” social networking unlike Twitter which I would call an “open” approach to Social Networking.

Right now on Twitter I interact with people all over the world that I’ve never met in person. I talk to pastors that I’ve never met but read their books, I talk to news personnel and I even have used Twitter to contact Microsoft directly and got results! I don’t have ANY of these people and companies GMail information (if they even have a Google account) and thus would never be able to reach them without Twitter.

Buzz might be cool for the more close circle of your friends but then again wasn’t Wave supposed to be some way to share media in a more “communal” way and I think we can all see how that went over (Does anyone even still use their Wave account? I don’t…).

What do you think about Google Buzz? Have you checked it out yet? If not, here is the link - http://buzz.google.com.

Night all,

- JM

The Apple iPad – Followup to the January 27th Event

January 29, 2010 in Technology with 2 Comments

Well, here it is folks – The Apple iPad. Did it meet some of the things I asked for? Yep. Did it miss the mark on a few things… Yep. Let’s break it down:

What’s wrong with the iPad:

  • Most Obviously – No Camera?
    • This was a shocker for me. Apple seemed to becoming obsessed with cameras. There is a camera on every laptop, every iMac, the new Apple 24″ LED LCD Display, iPhone, and now the iPod Nano… yet we can’t have one on the iPad. Now, I know many people were arguing the use for a camera on the iPad based on what the designed intention of the iPad is but personally I think it would be handy for snapping quick pics of yourself to upload while you blog or on Twitter – maybe even the possibility of video conferencing in the future. If a $149.00 iPod Nano can have a camera I don’t see why a $499.00 iPad can’t.
  • Device Connectivity
    • Well, I would have hoped for something besides a dock connector. USB would have been nice but seeing that is runs on the iPhone OS I can understand the lack of the port. Maybe in the future there will be some accessories for the dock connector that can help with these issues. (Yes, I already know about the Camera Kit which accepts USB from your camera). I could honestly care less though about HDMI like many people are whining about. I don’t see myself plugging this device into my television any more than I would see myself plugging my iPhone into my TV to watch movies. Also, if any display connectivity was going to show up on the device… it would be Mini-Display Port as this is clearly the direction Apple is going.
  • Flash Storage
    • If I am going to be able to use iWork on my Tablet can I also use it as a flash drive to store files on the go? I know there are iPhone apps that do this but I’d really like it to just plug into my machine and have disk use available. I assume part of the problem here is the file format that the partition would be in since the Apple UNIX File System isn’t really “Windows Friendly”.
  • iPhone OS
    • I assumed that this was going to be the case but it leaves me feeling a little lacking. Though iPhone application development is huge and on-going I’d still have some reservations about leaving my laptop behind and using this as a primary device in some situations. If anything the laptop would stay in the bag in the trunk in case of an emergency. I was hoping for a more modified OSX but I understand the direction and why the iPhone OS was chosen.
  • No Flash…
    • I can’t see this completely replacing my laptop because THERE IS NO ADOBE FLASH SUPPORT. Now, most web developers have gotten over the fad of programming their entire sites in Flash but there are a few still out there. Hopefully HTML5 will help this out but I still think this is going to cripple this device unless Adobe and Apple can come to terms and get this resolved.

Now Lets Talk About What It Does Do

  • Kindle – It Was Nice Knowing You
    • I think the iBook Store as well as the fact that this device only costs $10.00 more than the similar sized Kindle will be the death of the Kindle. I’m very excited that this is going to be an awesome e-reader and will sync with my iPhone for reading when my iPad isn’t handy.
  • New ‘Default’ Apps
    • The new apps that are made for the iPad are awesome. Coming from someone who lives in a schedule and e-mail this looks like it will be a great device for me. As I’m going from client to client and meeting to meeting it will be nice to have a device that can be instant on/off and last over 10 hours on one charge.
  • NO CONTRACT 3G
    • It was like not only did Apple hear me about the “Not Required” 3G but also they went a step further and made it NO CONTRACT. For me this is awesome. When I know I’m going to have months where I’m going to be working in an office that has wireless then I won’t need 3G but when I know I’m traveling I can just pay for one month of service and go along my way. I just wonder with the 250MB plan what happens after 250MB… shut off or auto-billed for overage.
  • iWork for iPad
    • This will help me leave the laptop behind. Being able to create and view documents on the go will be nice and not have to have a huge laptop to lug around. For someone who invests heavily in paperless environments I can see this being huge for my company and I’m sure others will adapt as well.
  • Business Potential
    • I’m sure I’m not the only person that is thinking how we can fit this into business models. The best part is the price point – $499 for entry level. In a lot of scenarios that I can think of this base device would fulfill a great number of possibilities.
  • Sexy Factor
    • From what I can tell on the internet it seems to be a love/hate relationship with the design. Personally I am a huge fan and think that it looks very nice. I think it lives up to the typical Apple design that they’re capable of producing.

The question: Will I Buy One? Answer: Most likely, yeah.

I think that I can make a big justification in business for this device and as more applications and accessories are being developed I’m sure the usability will be expanded. As I’m sure you can tell by my post, I will be getting the 64GB WiFi+3G.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Later,
- J

My January 27 Apple Predictions / Thoughts

January 26, 2010 in Technology with 2 Comments

Apple Tablet – iSlate – iPad

Well, I’m not really sure what to think here. From all the rumor sites I’ve been reading I’d like to think that the device isn’t going to be an “iPhone on Steroids” like many say. I can’t see myself running out to buy one if it does exactly what my iPhone does except on a 10″ screen. I also thought I’d never have a use for a smart phone or thought that Facebook would catch on so I guess time will tell maybe an iPhone on steroids would be something I’d use.

As for my wishlist I’d like to see a cost-effective (read: CHEAP) device that bridges functionality between iPhone, eReader,  Netbook and a Macbook. I would like it to have the capability of a Smart Phone with 3G data connectivity (but not required), App Store and Mobile Phone usage, Netbook like portability and basic functionality and some basic laptop functions as well.

There are many days where a tablet device would fit my everyday lifestyle and my laptop would sit on my desk and be used for things like graphics design, video editing, photo management and chatting with a physical QWERTY keyboard and large screen. I think that in business we could see the tablet fulfill many roles that we’re attempting to fit laptops and smartphones into. Also, the ability for it to also be an eReader and eliminate me having to carry a Kindle or like device around as well would be nice.

Multi-Carrier in the US for the iPhone

It was only a matter of time before every carrier in the US had the iPhone. If this rumor turns out to be true then I’ll welcome the change. Now, you won’t see me moving from AT&T but at least all the AT&T haters can return to the networks that they’ve sold their souls to in a previous life. Right now the biggest thing I hear from my friends is, “If the iPhone comes to Verizon – I’m getting one” or “I’m switching back”. It will free up congested AT&T networks for people like me who chose to stay.

Let me remind you of one small thing – though the iPhone is an amazing device – Verizon and Sprint still has a CDMA crippling network that doesn’t allow DATA AND VOICE AT THE SAME TIME. Now, you might say, no big deal. Really? As a heavy Verizon BlackBerry user before switching to an AT&T iPhone let me point out some annoyances that a supposed Verizon iPhone would have

  • Slower Data
    • Sure, if we take your Verizon iPhone out into the middle of nowhere and my AT&T iPhone you’ll have EVDO and I’ll have Edge to use for data. You win the speed advantage there. However, as we drive back to the city you’ll still have EVDO and I’ll have 3G – now I win. Since I spend 99% of my time in 3G enabled areas I’d say for me having faster coverage where I spend most of the time is important – not having somewhat fast speeds in no-mans-land.
    • One other thing to think about is how data intensive the iPhone can be. Most of my applications rely on data to function and it is nice to have mobile broadband speeds when using such apps. These same “quick” transactions will be noticeably slower with EVDO.
  • No Simultaneous Data and Phone Usage
    • When I had a Verizon BlackBerry I didn’t think this was a big deal – until I started using apps and tethering. There was nothing more annoying than me trying to tether so I could use my Laptop and miss 6 phone calls because I was using my BlackBerry as a data device. Then as I would stream data onto the phone and I’d end whatever application and get 3 voice mails. I also hated being on a call and needing something that requires data on the phone and having to either “call back” or do without.
    • I’m sure you’re sitting there shaking your head saying, “How much does that really apply?” Well, I can’t count how many times I’ve been on a conference call where someone says, “Let me e-mail you this doc” and I pull it up on my iPhone for viewing… while connected to the call. I am all the time talking to people who need directions and I use the Map app to find out where they’re at and give them directions. I often talk on the phone while playing an online game or multitasking in some fashion with an app that uses data. Bottom line is that once you’re used to doing data and voice at the same time – going without would be difficult.
  • Worldwide Coverage?
    • Will the Verizon phone have CDMA and GSM capabilities such as the BlackBerry World Phone edition? If not then a CDMA phone would be lacking for international travelers but then again if you’re on Verizon this may not be a huge issue for you.

As for what else will be revealed tomorrow I’m not sure. New software for the Tablet, new iPhone OS, who knows! I’m exicted and plan on doing a “Post-Release Blog” to see how my predictions and thoughts added up. Feel free to comment!
Later,
- JM

2010: The Year Blogging Makes A Comeback

January 20, 2010 in Technology with 1 Comment

Well, I’ve decided that I’m going to make it my goal to bring back blogging into 2010. I was silent for most of 2009 and it was a crazy year. Retrospectively I wish I would have written about things going on and maybe things that were on my mind and things that mattered to me. I used blogging as a way to “share life” with others who I don’t see all the time (and some who I do see all the time) but really it’s also a great way to take a walk backwards and look down memory lane to see what years past have held.

I’ve been recently encouraging others around me to either revive their blog or maybe return to blogging by starting a new blog. Today I got my friend Scott setup with his new blog/website – www.ramblinscotzman.com. So, you should check it out.

As I left a comment on his first post on this new site it occurred to me that my own blog still had a post from 2009. I think that this year blogging should make a comeback. When blogging was “popular” among my friends it served as a great way for us to share opinions, ideas, thoughts and just life. It make this giant world feel a little smaller when I could read about what my friends are thinking or doing. Some people would argue with me that this is what Facebook status updates or Twitter is for but I’d personally like to know what is on my friend’s minds beyond a sentence or two.

So if you have a blog that you’ve been neglecting why don’t you make it a point to update it this year and return to writing. I will be “rebuilding” a blog roll so if you have a blog (that you update) and would like it added, send it my way. I’m formally going to make a point to blog now so lets hope I can keep it up. Who knows if I can keep this up I might even do that redesign I’ve been talking about for years… LOL. We’ll see…

Night,

- John

Losing Big Time

October 27, 2009 in Life with 0 Comments

So, I just finished watching The Biggest Loser. I will admit that this was somewhat of a sad episode – as in emotionally not as in the weigh in results. You see I got in late on watching The Biggest Loser – I don’t think I started watching until episode 2 or 3. I have been learning about the contestants each week as they talk about their lives and what (emotional) baggage they carry from home. As always I like to root for the underdogs and I was cheering for the Black Team. It brought a smile to my face when I saw them win a challenge.

Then they begin to show the gym scenes where everyone is working out. As always, there is Jillian Michaels beating the crap out of everyone. I watched as she pushed these people beyond the limits they had in their minds. I also watched her push people to deal with emotional problems that they had been carrying with them. I thought it was pretty profound of her in the way she got these people to break and talk about the deep issues they have in their life. As the show progressed and several contestants shared about their past – deal with drug addicted mothers and constantly searching for their love, being “the fat girl” all their life and learning to break past that feeling, and losing your entire family at the hands of a wreck-less driver…

I felt slightly put in my place after that. Sure, I complain about things and I think I’ve had some honest adversity in life but these people have experienced life much harder than I know. It gave me some perspective.

As my friend Cheryl put it on her blog, “I need to change my perspective and focus on what really matters in life.”

I think this is a valuable lesson we should all think about. How much stuff do we complain about in life and act as if the world is going to end when in all reality there are people living each day of their life with so much tragedy and so many obstacles to overcome that we’re bless enough to not have to deal with.

Just my $0.02,
- John

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