Many of you have noticed that things have been bare around here, and in the last two days we’ve been up, then down, then back up again. I want to pass on a little explanation as to what happened as of Wednesday the 3rd of February. On that day I got the worst news I’ve received in my entire life. My younger brother committed suicide, and my world crashed. Smartphones, new tech, funny videos, stupid politicians, scantily clad women and all other topics carried here at MP became instantly, unimportant. Not that you, my readers and subscribers aren’t extremely important to me, but the ideal of and the ability to update with new post on the banality of the day was simply out of my reach.

My girlfriend and I flew to Des Moines where we along with my mother and other family – walked through the worst days of my time on this planet. Then to add insult to injury, I received an email from my hosting account informing me that MP had been shut down on Monday of this week. They claimed that MP was over utilizing resources, which was strange seeing as how I was not posting anything. But I neither had the ability or strength to do anything about it, even after I got them to turn it back on that afternoon.

The saga continued with more horrifying news:

As we flew back home on Tuesday, vinegar was poured onto the wound. Our flight out of Des Moines connecting us to our Los Angeles flight out of Denver, had to crash land. I’ll spare you (and myself reliving it) all the details of that experience, but suffice it to say, it was horrible. I hope that no one reading this ever has to go through a landing where the Captain and flight attendants are screaming for you to “Brace for Impact”. Now for the salt on top of the vinegar poured onto the open wound.

After finally landing safely in L.A., and making it back home alive and in one piece (although completely discombobulated), I ventured to ascertain exactly what happened with the site, and how to fix it before it was shut off again. That is when I discovered that MP had been hacked. Yep, somehow, some ass got into the back end and applied a malicious spyware code, which in turn overused the resources resulting in MP being shut down. So, early Wednesday morning, I began the arduous task of cleaning it up. That of course resulted in the site going offline several times throughout the day. It also meant that prior to the 4th, all comments, and the kind comments left by readers who read the post explaining why I wouldn’t be posting for a few days, are lost. My apologies. Also, no reader was infected.

With the help of my host, we were able to get it all cleaned, backed up, back up and operational…..I hope. And with that, MP well be back to ‘Smartphones, new tech, funny videos, stupid politicians, scantily clad women and all other topics,’ but forgive me if a few days seem a little slim on the new article side, sleeping and focus is still a bit rough for me at the moment. But this too shall pass.

On another note: Please, please, for the sake of yourself and the ones that you love and care for. If you are feeling like life is too hard to go on, seek help. Ask for it, talk to someone, anyone. Taking your own life will not only end any chance for you to see the better day THAT WILL COME, but it will also inflict unimaginable pain on those who love you. Wether you know or believe it, there is always someone out there who loves you, and If not at the moment, there is someone out there waiting to love you. Don’t rob them or yourself.

Thanks to all readers and subscribers for sticking with and returning to MP after 8 days of silence and spotty site availability!

The aftermath of Adam Lambert’s ridiculous performance at the AMA’s has been resoundingly negative. Even Lambert fans are looking to return their posters. Meanwhile thousands of angry viewers are sending their disgust to ABC over the performance. Sadly, most of the anger comes from the ‘gay’ aspect of the show. I think that misses the problem by a country a mile. Gay, Lesbian or straight sexual content in musical performances is the symptom of a much larger problem.

Music in general these days is suffering from a severe case of heart disease. 99.9% of the crap that’s played on the radio is completely heartless and can be replicated by anyone with the right software, software that can be downloaded free from any bit torrent. Talent is no longer needed, and it shows. The stuff that is good and worth a listen and purchase is often lost because someone in a suit decided the face could not be sold to 12-year old boys and girls who are spoon feed Nickelodeon garbage for four straight hours a day. Really, even the Bay City Rollers came up with a few tunes that could actually stand the test of time, and they’re one of the most egregious offenders ever forced upon the radio waves.

The one true fact almost every teen heart throb tends to forget, is that immediately after being labeled ‘Heart throb’ they are entered onto the long list of here today, gone tomorrow celebrities that have suffered the same moniker. It always seemed to me to be the smarter choice to let the music/acting speak for itself. If someone thinks your cute, then that’s an extra added benefit. But most often, incredible talent can make the unattractive, attractive, plenty of ‘real’ musicians can attest to that. But being liked for your looks, is going to fade in the blink of an eye.

Now, here’s the harsh part. Just because a person can sing, it doesn’t make them a musician. Musicians are born, not created. The fact that a person can skate well, isn’t going to automatically make them an Olympic skater. This is the reason I have had a problem with “American Idol’ from day one.

Barry Manilow was and is a great vocalist, but he was also an accomplished musician, could write a great song (whether you like them or not) and knew exactly how to deliver it for maximum results. But he could in no way be considered a heart throb or cool by any stretch of the imagination. Manilow wrote tunes that your kids kids will sing one day for one reason or another and this didn’t happen simply because he had a good voice.

In my humble opinion, Adam Lambert showed himself and the world that he has no business with the title “Entertainer” associated with his name, nevermind musician. The fiasco that took place onstage at the American Music Awards was an embarrassment and shining light on what has happened to the “Art” of music. It’s been reduced to “Amateur WebCam Porn” “Ultimate Cage Fighting” and the “Andy Warhol” effect. But the entire country isn’t ready for primetime amateur porn. Leave the homosexual aspect aside, because that isn’t the point. Either you can rock the house or you can’t. Morrissey (The Smiths) never needed to resort to utter garbage to make his point, and Morrissey can’t sing. But he and the Smiths knew how to touch the listener, gay or straight. If you need props, if you need to rely on the most base part of human nature visually to touch someone’s soul, then you’ve got an inhibited reach. I for one have had it with this kind of garbage. Sexual play is one thing. Having a little fun with ones sexuality isn’t a crime (as long as you’re of legal age). The problem is the countless spoon feed talentless hacks that fool some for a moment, and damage ART forever.

So, that was my rant and my opinion. The questions is:
Did Adam Lambert End His Career before it even started?

 

Being a long time Palm user and fan, but newly converted Blackberry man (and happy) I thought I should throw out a few personal thoughts on Palm’s new entry and quite possibly life saver, the Palm Pre.

The hot new line-up from HTC couldn’t do it, not a single Nokia could even come close, the G1 Android phone couldn’t, the Instinct hilariously couldn’t, despite all the claims to the contrary, and not even the mighty, mighty Blackberry Storm could come along a knock the iPhone off its well deserved pedalstool.  These are all manufactures with some seriously kick-butt devices that one could argue are in fact better than the iPhone, but they just simply do not have that cult of personality that came built-in to the iPhone through it’s maker, and quickly increased tenfold in numbers.  

This is a level that Palm can compete on, if they have the right solution, and folks, it looks like they do.

But let’s be honest here, without the iPhone the Palm Pre does not exist.  Just look at the toolbar, sure, it may do more, but it’s the iPhone toolbar with the benefit of time and directional planning.  Multitouch, two finger squeeze to make larger or smaller, finger swipes to send pages scrolling where you want them.  Multi tabbing, having as many pages or apps open as you can, and then swiping through to get to the page you want, that’s the iPhone, no if’s and’s or buts’ about it.  In fact, given its size, it’s really just a iPhone Nano that’s been jailbroken and is running great third party apps and great customizing software.   But, there is one thing that makes it jump out of the iPhone package, even a jailbroken iPhone package.

System wide “Cut & Paste.”

This is the one true iPhone Achilles heel, and it just might be the one feature that hands the Pre the loaded pistol with a free shot at a defenseless iPhone.  It still baffles the mind that Apple did not and has yet to include something as basic and necessary as “cut & paste.”  All the little other things can be said about every other top class smartphone out there.  One can find issue, something lacking or just annoying about all the top tier handsets, but the omission of such a basic feature defies all logic.  In particular when you’re talking about a smart device as smart as the iPhone.  

A failing fledgling behind the times company comes out with a shrunken copy cat clothed in a new suit and instantly makes the smartest handset (iPhone) just look stupid.  And when you get right down to it, it’s really because of one feature, and one feature alone.  Then add onto it, Palm’s cult of personality, a field leveler that no other device manufacture can claim, not even RIM with their legions, and you’ve got a sun down stage set for a old fashion shoot out.

Now, a good deal of Palm fans that jumped the aging Palm ship for greener pastures in the Apple orchards, have their hands above their eyes, squinting at a new Marshall off in the distance riding into town to take on the fair but controlling Sheriff.  And they’re really excited about the prospect.  Of course that Marshall is riding in on a sick horse in need of water and medicine (Sprint), but when they arrive, there will most likely be the very first gun fight the town has seen since the Sheriff rode in and took over.  And all the Sheriff had to do to win the un-relinquished loyalty of the township, was give them the basics, a little bit of cutting and a little bit of pasting.  And let’s not forget the ability to see an opportunity for ownership on another carrier.

Palm really has a shot here, they could shoot themselves in the foot if they go with the rumored price point.  But if they play to win, they will have done it the “New” American way.  Re-package a success, call their own, but give the consumer one added newness not offered by the originator.   Just like top forty radio, art and Film.  

Kudos Palm, you stepped up the fight, and I for one just might find myself sitting in your bleachers again.  After all, I’m riding that same sick thirsty horse, and I love a good old fashion high noon gun fight.

Do they Look Like IDIOTS!!!!

I have a question for all our readers out there. Republican or Democrat, Is anyone tired of our tax dollars being used to destroy the free market economy?

The automakers are begging for money! The banks begged and received a 700 Billion dollar gift. The irony is laughable. I always thought the banks were the place to go and get money.

Who built too many cars and priced them way above what is reasonable? Oh wait, that was our buddies at GM, FORD and Chrysler. Bankruptcy would give the automakers and the union extortionists exactly what they deserve.

Leaders of Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have said they don’t consider bankruptcy a viable option, since it would destroy potential customers’ confidence in the companies. But they also say they’re burning through millions of dollars every day, and they need help from the federal government. Are you Freakin kidding me!? Customer confidence disappeared years ago which is  why those idiots had to start offering no interest financing to help sell there crappy cars.

Would the economy be worse off if Billions were not given to AIG. I don’t think so.

I am not economist but I  my guess is that letting a few of these poorly managed companies go out of business would force the realignment of priorities an drive fiscal accountability and responsibility.

That’s all for now.

I would some reader input on this frustrating topic.

Sincerely,

The Sheriff

I’m not a big fan of football players or athletes from any sport retired or not making public endorsements of candidates on either side of the aisle.  Sports should always be that one place where fans can go to get away from all the political bullcrap.  However, if you’re a football fan, then you know that Monday Night Football, now on ESPN starts and ends with Hank Williams Jr., a fact that I have never really cared about, until now.

Even though it does not effect the game itself, Hank Williams Jr., has come out in support of McCain, writing a song for him and now cutting a attack ad for the Arizona Senator.  

How can ESPN now allow him to open Monday Night Football.  half the country does not agree with him politically and I am sure that there are team members out on the field who do not agree with him.

It was questionable in my mind when he endorsed and showed up on the campaign trail, but whatever, to each his own.  But now that he has featured his name and face in a paid for political attack and against the Democratic opponent, he has switched from endorsing to working for, and that has no place in football.  Not when he opens and closes the show every Monday night, making him a essentially a spokesperson for the NFL.

IMHO, the NFL should remove him until this race is over, which really means for the next two Monday night games.  But it should be written in any contract from that point on that those representing the NFL and regular season play, cannot and shall not attach themselves to political parties for campaign goals of any party or party affiliate.  This will keep divisive partisan politics out of the great game of football, and allow the game to continue to be the entertainment escape (the until now, only escape) it has always been.

Since moving over from my long years as a Palm Treo user to the Blackberry 8830 on the Sprint Network, I have come to enjoy and prefer the smartphone from Canada, and barely miss my Palm days.  However, if Palm were to resurrect to greatness once again and introduce a new device with a brand new OS capable of running more than one app at any given time, great form factor and out-of -the box compatibility with web 2.0 applications, it’s a sure bet that I would quickly snatch one up.

Until then, which could be never, I’ll continue to enjoy the breath of fresh mobile air that the Blackberry 8830 has given me.  Is it the perfect phone? No.  Could it be better?  Yes, and by all accounts it is, and with a new name, the Blackberry Bold.  

I moved over to the Blackberry on a trial run basis because I wanted to do more Blackberry Software reviews for readers, but after I discovered how nice it is to open an app and go to another app with the first app remaining open, I stayed.  Then there’s the stability.  I have yet to have a reset due to an application.  And that is what brings me to this post.One of the best things about owning a Smartphone is the fun that can be had with all of the third party applications for the phone.  Last year, and even earlier this year, the list of great Blackberry apps was abysmal.  The consisted mainly of Business Productivity software applications, nothing fun.  But as Blackberry begins to move into a more consumer based device with the Pearl and the Curve, developers have been quick to feed the need of consumers who like to spend way to much time playing with their phones.  This is where Palm always succeeded and grew it’s legions of loyal fans.  At one point it could be said that Blackberry did not have the third party prowess to compete in the Palm world, this is no longer true.

And what is so remarkable to me, and is the very thing that is now really setting the Blackberry far and above the aging PalmOS, is a good deal of these apps are web based, meaning the user doesn’t have to slow down and clog up their Blackberry to get great useful and fun apps.  

After many reviews with many more to come to be sure, I have narrowed down five applications for the Blackberry that I believe I would be lost if I didn’t have them.  Let’s start with the apps that utilize the web and leave little to no foot print on my BB.

Google Apps

Google apps on the Blackberry is ridiculously amazing.  Basically, the suite sites as selectable icons under one icon placed in applications.  Selecting it opens a screen that allows me to either select GMail, News, Reader, maps, calendar, Docs, Photos, notebook and Sync which is for updates.  GTalk, my main IM client is absolutely invaluable.  Calendar and task are always in sync with the corresponding Blackberry apps.  GMail is just like it is on my computers, fast and easy to use.  This one app alone takes away the need for three or four separate apps and it takes up no space at all. Google Mobile Apps For Blackberry

Reqall

Wow!  Not too many other ways to accurately describe this application.  It does leave a footprint, but most of its services are relayed to reqall servers.  Speak a task by recording it or write it into reqall and it syncs with your computer inbox that you set up with reqall or vis versa except for the recording part.  Reqall then syncs your task or scheduled event or reminder with the desktop and Blackberry.  It will then send you a text or email to confirm the added event.  This is what for me, is the best part.  I hit record, record “studio session, Wednesday October 15th, 10 pm.  Remind me at 7pm.”  hit stop, hit save and a few minutes later I get the email telling me what I just recorded.  Then Wednesday night at 7pm, I will get an email with my scheduled task.  Now that’s cool and useful. This is quickly becoming my favorite FREE application.  ReQall

Vlingo

Vlingo is too cool!  Even though this app downloads it’s guts to the Blackberry, and is a fairly large app, the usefulness is unmistakable.  Vlingo is totally superior to the “Voice Command” that is native on the BB.  In fact, I never used it because it drove me crazy.  Vlingo is smart, scary smart.  Once you train it to your voice pattern you can perform task with speed and ease.  Send emails, text, search the web, get directions, create reminders all with one touch and simple commands.  You can even reply to messages Vlingo.  I’ve found this app to be incredibly useful while driving, as I can send text without typing a single letter.  The Phone portion of my BB rarely sees use, so this is especially good to me.  Vlingo FREE

FlowBerry

I love themes, and for me, Flowberry is the best one out there.  I use the ‘Today Theme” which tells me my two most recent emails, two up coming appointments and last two phone calls one the home screen.  Then it gives me a Mac-like Dock where I place five of my most used applications for quick and easy access.  But most of all, it’s beautiful and very responsive. BlackBerry Themes
Customize the look of your device with hottest themes from Bplay. Easy downloads and secure billing.

Black & Whitelist

Black & WhiteList is a must.  This is a very small but very powerful call blocking application.  In fact it’s the most powerful and most accurate blocking software i’ve tried on Palm and Blackberry.  It couldn’t be more simple to use.  get a call you don’t want, highlight it, hit the scroll wheel for the menu, select “add to Black & Whitelist” check Block, save and your done.  That number will never ever ring through again.  You can also use numbers from your address book.  Invaluable. Black & Whitelist Check My Review Here.

There are many apps that I really like, and a few of them are mainstays on my Blackberry.  A BONUS to my five would be BBSmart AlarmsPro.  This is the best alarm app ever.  fast and easy to setup.  Extremely reliable with great options and look.  It has awaken me without fail every morning.  Check my review here. Click the pic to try. 

Again, BB apps are beginning to rival those of the Palm world which were at one time untouchable.  These apps that I have listed have made my mobile life incredibly easy and comfortable without putting my BB’s stability in jeopardy.  If you have not tried any of these apps, I strongly suggest you do, you’ll thank me, but that’s not necessary.

Enjoy! 

 

I must admit I watched all of this with amusement as site after site jumped on the rumor of a new Kindle without doing much investigation or speaking to the horses mouth. Now Amazon has flatly denied a new version of the Kindle being released this year according to the New York Times.

Bits blog writer Brad Stone did what every other journalist should have done, he asked:

I asked Craig Berman, Amazon’s chief spokesman, for comment on a possible Kindle 2.0, and today he responded.

“Don’t believe everything you read,” Mr. Berman said. “There’s a lot of rumor and speculation about the Kindle. One thing I can tell you for sure is that there will be no new version of the Kindle this year. A new version is possible sometime next year at the earliest.”

I know everyone is curious as to how this device is doing, especially with Amazon being so tightlipped. However, all of the sources that were linking to this as news all traced back to the same (heretofore) unknown stock analyst extolling the virtues of new Kindles that were set to debut in just a few months and at a lower price.

Here’s the small sampling of a rumor that got accepted as fact:

An insider let slip that two new Amazon Kindle models will hit stores this holiday season, with the first coming as early as October. – CrunchGear (Emphasis mine)

Amazon is working on a new version of the Kindle, and sees a big opportunity to market its e-book reader to college students, McAdams Wright Ragen analyst Tim Bueneman said Friday in an e-mailed note based on meetings with management. (Emphasis mine. And how exactly did that e-mail get out to the general public?)

"There are already several new, improved versions of the Kindle in the works," he wrote. – Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Most companies play their new devices as close to their breast as possible having learned that strategy from Apple. They all want the “Boom” effect.

But this particular rumor always struck me as odd considering the source. Journalism 101; who’s the source and can it be verified by more than one? This rumor failed that test miserably but that didn’t stop folks from running with this as fact. 

To spot the rumor from the real in-the-works product cycle, you can always take a cue from the big dogs, Apple, Sony, Nintendo, et al.

If company A is seriously working on a new product and it somehow gets out but they are not ready to reveal, it is always prefaced with “We don’t speculate on rumors.” Nothing more? Case closed. You can bet your bottom dollar whatever someone has “outed” is on the way.

But when company B categorically denies a new device AND gives you a time frame for the next upgrade, you can pretty much rest assured they don’t want to blow their good PR vibes by being exposed as blatant liars.

There will be a Kindle 2 at some point, just not today and not outed by a stock analyst.

Palm almost had me when first pictures and then video popped up about the new Palm Treo Pro, I was seriously liking what I saw.

Well, sorry Palm, Engadget Mobile got their hands on an actual phone and provided dozens of pictures and the unboxing. There’s even a shot of the Treo Pro next to that iPhone thingy I keep hearing about.

From the video that ran here on MorninPaper (and elsewhere before it vanished) the device looked like worthy contender for my next phone. Running Windows Mobile 6.1 AND a touch screen, I was intrigued, no, more than that, I was in serious like.

But now that anyone could see it next to a (very) familiar device, it’s nowhere the vision of loveliness I originally thought.

Specs are the same, Windows Mobile still there, but the whole thing looks so . tiny.

I realize it’s going to take a lot to pry the Motorola Q9h out of my hands. The only serious contender at the moment is the still officially unannounced (for the US market anyway) BlackBerry Bold. And AT&T needs to better Rogers price of $399.99 on contract for me to switch anytime soon. Otherwise, my Q and I are in for a happily extended relationship.

So, it’s back to salivating over the Bold images and the intense pangs of jealousy as other countries, celebrities and sports figures are caught in the wild sporting the Bold and the rest of in America are left on the sidelines.

Palm, you almost had me again, but I’m going to stick with bigger and bolder. Maybe next time.

I’ve often heard about writers who have characters “speak” to them as the beginning of their “muse” for their next great six figure advance novel. They’d speak about it in hushed, reverent tones just to make sure the rest of us aspiring authors can understand they truly have an inside line to fame and fortune that we mere mortals can only rage at the heavens for being at such an untalented disadvantage.

Okay, it’s really not that bad but it sure felt good to finally get that off my chest.

Being an aspiring writer who suffers from the “Can’t-Keep-Butt-In-Chair” writers syndrome (it’s real, honest), I had one of those moments that seem to be visited on someone else’s writing life, never mine.

One night, out of the blue, I had trouble sleeping. Usually for a slacker writer, sleeping is the least of my worries. But this particular night, I tossed and turned for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time.

I’m lying there, reveling in the fantasy world that writers create: you know, the one where our latest novel idea writes itself (perfectly, I might add), finds an agent and publisher right away and lands us on Oprah, Good Morning America, CNN and rockets to the top of every best seller list? Yeah, that one.

Out of the blue, I hear a voice. A really strong and clear voice. This isn’t the voice of God; I know what His voice sounds like. No, this was the voice of a new main character: “Hi, my name is Tom. No, not Thomas, just Tom. And this is what started to happen to me.”

Let’s back up a minute. Part of the procrastinating writer shtick is laziness. I’m in bed. My computer is shut down for the night. Can’t this wait till the morning “Tom?” I don’t even like the first person narrative voice. Will you PLEASE stop talking to me?

Nope. “Tom” just kept on talking like I had all the time in the world even at three a.m.

I initially try to fit this “Tom” into my preferred third person voice. But “Tom” would have none of it. I lay there and listened to “Tom” tell me his story. He fades in and out a bit, as my brain tries to makes sense of what is going on, but he’s got one heck of a great YA story to tell.

As he goes on, it gets better and better.

Okay, now I finally get into my head what is happening. That “thing” that visits all those other successful writers? It’s sitting and talking with me!

I reach for my phone (Windows Mobile) with a pretty good note taking application and begin writing down what “Tom” is telling me. I write until he stops talking. And then I write a little more from the “conversation.”

My biggest fear is the ideas that come at some ungodly hour of the night can sometimes wither away in the coming of the dawn. I look at what I wrote after syncing it with my desktop and “Tom” still has this really great story. (Yes, it needs some additional work, but don’t worry “Tom,” you’re in good hands.)

 I started thinking about this phenomenon and must admit, most of my (I hope) good ideas have come this way. They might not have been as forceful as “Tom,” but all of my ideas are usually based on “seeing” or “hearing” a character, a situation or plot that I’m smart enough to write down. As writers, our eventual joy comes in getting to share the things we hear and see with our readers, but that is always preceded by our own hearing or seeing first. If we are paying attention, getting new ideas can come at any time, taking it out of the realm of the mystical and bringing it firmly into the land of simply paying attention.

Thankfully, ideas happen all the time – and not just to the already successful author.  Ideas are the fuel writers need; whether it is the idea for the next project or the idea on how to fix the current situation after you’ve written yourself, your characters and your plot into a corner.

Listening for ideas is a writer’s greatest skill, but the listening skill that will pay off the most for every writer is being able to listen when your writer’s voice is speaking only to you, when no one else can hear. Those are the words that can begin writing legends.

Now that the hard part is done, I wonder if there are any new YouTube videos to watch after I check my e-mail and RSS feeds (yet) again. What? You forgot I said at the top I was a slacker?

Well, looks like it’s confession time. Alas, I fear I am way beyond mere fanboy at this stage.

I’m starting to have this recurring dream…

I’m in a basement room of a church. All of the chairs are arranged in a circle and I’m standing up in front of one of them. Around me are people of all ages, mostly younger however. I feel suddenly very old at 42 years of age.

I open my mouth to speak and am surprised at what comes out: “Hi. My name is Aaron and I’m a Pokeholic.”

I wake up to the music of my Pokemon game, waiting for me from when I drifted off to sleep.

Many people are probably wondering how I got here if you haven’t already dismissed me as a raving lunatic. Okay, fair enough. But here me out first, then you can call the guys with those nice white jackets with the arms that button in the back.

Well, it started off innocently enough. My son caught the Pokemon bug.

Read the rest of this entry ….

 

It all started with the trading card game.

Being the dutiful father, I brought him his first Starter Deck.

After a little while of going trying to play according to the instructions, we both gave up since we were in unfamiliar territory. I never could understand how a game so popular had, in my opinion, such obtuse directions. How could people new to the game learn without having someone show them? The trading cards became collectible items and topics of endless conversations that I initially struggled to keep up with.

That was enough for awhile; however, the Pokemon video games became the next target.

I was doing due diligence as a parent and started looking into the game he was requesting. Reviews said they were very reading intensive. But, he had saved the money necessary to purchase the game used so we headed to GameStop.

It was like Christmas for him as he loaded up his first Pokemon game. But you remember how I said they are very reading intensive? Well, it’s true. Some words and concepts he couldn’t grasp so I was pulled in as translator.

The more he asked and the more I discovered about the game, the more intrigued I became for myself.

Learning about the various Pokemon available, how to capture them, how to battle to gain points to “train” your Pokemon made sense. Here was a more accessible way to enter the Pokemon world although he still struggled with directions from time to time. But, through sheer determination and desire, he was starting to get better at the game while reading more, needing my help less.

True, it wasn’t the “classics” of literature, but reading is reading. Grasping concepts, reading comprehension and being able to follow written directions are key components of reading improvement.

But my real conversion didn’t start until he hit a particularly rough spot and needed my concentrated help to figure out why he couldn’t advance.

Suddenly, I wasn’t just giving quick verbal instructions but spending hands-on time with the game – and found I really enjoyed it.

Walking around talking to the random characters, going on quest to deliver this item to this person in this location was all great stuff.

The battles required a great deal of planning as does managing your party of Pokemon. But there was something truly sublime about winning a battle and seeing your Pokemon level up and learn a new skill. I started to get attached to them in the same way as a beloved pet.

And yes, they all got their own names. I even get misty when “we” survive a tough battle and they learn a new skill. Or fret for their “safety” as I make all possible haste to get them back to the Pokemon Center for healing if they’ve been injured.

Now, I’m watching my world being invaded by all things Pokemon. Did you know there is a Pokemon version of Monopoly? Me neither but it’s now on my Christmas wish list.

My computer wallpaper has changed to reflect my favorite Pokemon as has the wallpaper on my phone. I’ve got all the Pokemon sites on RSS feed or book marked. The release date of Pokemon games or other Pokemon related items are scheduled in my calendar. More Pokemon merchandise has started to invade our home, this time because of me.

As a rational adult with real world responsibilities, I take steps to keep it from getting completely out of hand, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I look forward to the time I’ve set aside to play the game.

I would have never thought I’d be saying any of this in a million years. But, the transformation is complete, I am a Pokeholic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For all those like me, or if you think a loved one might be a Pokeholic, here’s a handy list of all known symptoms for you.

 

At one point everyone thought the world was flat.  Also at one point, everyone thought computing meant Microsoft.  Microsoft is starting a new ad campaign to get folks to take a second look at their much performing Vista operating system, spending in excess of $300 million on a new campaign.

But Vista is only a small part of the problem.  The reason why Microsoft is feeling the need to go deep into the pockets goes beyond an over bloated operating system.

 

There was a time when Microsoft was in some way, the only game in town.  Apple was the small fringe company and Google was still in grade school.  Now Apple has become a formidable force, Google has graduated and has a Masters, and a good deal of other kids have walked on to the play ground, all of them bringing really cool toys with them, and we all know what happens when new kids bring new toys.

Lotus, Linux, Yahoo, AOL all of them have eaten into Microsoft’s profit margin in one way or another, if only by forcing Microsoft to buy them so the giant doesn’t lose yet another toe from the vast land their foot used to cover.   

This is a problem that can not be fixed with ad campaigns.  This is a problem that stems from a dominating arrogance, a belief that they are the only game in town.  Whatever they do is going to be automatically excepted and embraced by all.  This is a fear that I have for Apple at the moment, a great company in danger of the same corporate mentality.  

“If you build it they will come” is a late 80′s business model that does not apply in today’s world, there are far too many builders out there now and everyone has instant access to all of them.  So if you build it, it better be damn good.  It better be fresh, and it better change lives instantly.  Google stepped in and changed the internet over night, and by doing so they changed the lives of everyone with an electrical outlet on the planet.  As small as it is, Apple has changed lives with the iPhone because now, no matter what your choice of platform, we all demand more from our mobiles than we ever did before, or at least in ways that are different.  But life has most definitely been changed by the advent of the iPod, the one single product that introduced Apple to the world.

Advertising does not change lives.  Advertisements are those things that we all try are best to avoid, even when our income relies on it.  Shiny pictures and catchy phrases aren’t going to instill a sense of trust in any one company, good solid inventive products will.  Until Microsoft comes to the understanding that in the world of technology, the world is in fact FLAT, traveling in a straight line toward the future, that circular way of doing business is going to keep Microsoft going round and round, chasing after its once greatness. 

Is it just me, or is the E3 electronic game convention currently happening in LA a big letdown?

After hearing from the "big guns", Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony from the E3 Expo, I was not all that impressed with anything any of them had to offer.

Microsoft said they’ll be getting Netflix for the XBox360. Okay, but savvy watchers saw (or should have seen) that handwriting on the wall more than a year ago when Reed Hastings CEO of Netflix joined Microsoft’s board. I wasn’t so much surprised as I was wondering what took so long? I mean, you don’t think he joined the board “just because” do you?

They also pre-announced a new system configuration for the XBox360 that will lower the price of the current 20GB model. Yawn.

Nintendo rubbed everyone else’s nose in the success of the Wii but there "big news" was an attachment to make the Wiimote more accurate and a microphone for chatting while playing the Wii. And? Well, not much else really. A snowboarding game that uses the Wiiboard and a music game. No refresh of the DS Lite, not even cosmetically, was discussed.

Still, no one asked the most basic million dollar question of Nintendo America: Why, after a year and a half, is the Wii still next to impossible to find in stores anywhere? It’s been long enough Nintendo! Regular readers know I’ve been asking this question here and here for almost a year now without getting a solid answer.

And Sony? I’ve read through several recaps to try and find something even remotely interesting except they’ll be first out of the gate with streaming movies for PS3 owners which they say goes live tonight. And . that was about it of any consequence.

The rest was gobbledygook to me. More announcements about accessories and sequels to already popular games but very few “new” game announcements.

Yes, I’m (really) looking forward to LEGO Batman (here’s a new video clip), but I really didn’t see much else to get excited about from any of the Big 3 going into the holiday shopping season.

Most of the games they talked about, we’ve already known are coming anyway.

If there isn’t going to be new “news” coming out of E3, what’s the point? It used to be the time to shine, now it seems it’s a time to reheat the sizzle so no one notices the lack of steak.

 

Okay, the talk that has been going around for a few weeks now about the posthumous Oscar that could be be awarded Heath Ledger is starting to get on my nerves.  I’m sure that I’m in the minority here and it’s a bit silly to even have this conversation when the film hasn’t even hit the screen yet, but this is ridiculous in my book.  

The Oscars have gone the way of so many other prestigious accolades bestowed upon those in the entertainment industry that have a career under them of incredible achievement and contribution, only to be passed up by someone who has garnered a ton of instant momentary fame.  Britney Spears got a star on Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame” a full year before “Kevin Costner”, Britney friggin Spears.  Mia Sorvino and Marisa Tomei, both actress’s that I like, got Oscars before Martin Scorsese was given one for a film that he really shouldn’t have won it for.  The list of travesties of this kind is far too long to list.

Now Hollywood seems poised to give an Oscar to a guy who played a villain in a comic book action movie.  I am sure, given the fact that Heath Ledger was a great actor, his portrayal of the comic book villain is excellent.  But Oscar worthy?  If Oscar is in his cards, why didn’t he receive one for “Brokeback Mountain”, a film in which he had to go to one seriously risky and deep place to pull off, and he did. 

The truth is, all this Oscar talk is because he is dead.  I don’t want to come across as insensitive here but, he killed himself.  It sucks, it’s sad and on some level it’s even tragic, but the man had everything, abused too many substances at once and left a child, loved ones and adoring fans to grieve this tragedy.  Now there is talk of rewarding him for doing so.  What kind of message does that send to youngsters who are struggling with life, drugs and alcohol?  Hollywood does some stupid things with the Oscars, but it never gives an Oscar to an action hero movie, or I should say, to an individual actor playing a villain in a action hero movie.  If it did, Jack Nickleson would have gotten it for his portrayal of the same character.   This talk of Oscar and Ledger gets louder every week, and wether or not it comes to light when the nominations are officially handed down or not, the troubled and destitute in this world need to know that it is not okay to put yourself in a position of taking your own life.  Handing out awards for it, even talking about it, only emboldens the theory of “things will be better if I’m not here”.

Do you think Heath Ledger should be nominated for an Oscar? 

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

 

 I started my blogging journey by contributing stories about my unnatural love of my Treos and the PalmOS to Palmaddicts.  PalmAddicts uses the well known and popular Typepad as the engine to run it’s daily post.  Before joining Sammy’s team of writers, I knew nothing at all about blogs, blogging platforms or anything of the such, I simply had sites that I enjoyed visiting, PA being one of them, so when Sammy (PA Owner) posted a request for new writers, I answered it.  Being a writer and far too connected to my various Macs, writing sonnets and rants concerning technologies and devices quickly became addictive, (I’ve got an addictive personality) naturally I needed to quench that thirst, move from taking a few sips to jumping straight into the pool.  So when it came time to start my very own journey, Typepad was the obvious choice. 

 I already knew how to use it, it was easy, Palmaddicts always ran great on it and most of all, it was cheap.  So I whipped out the ol plastic and signed up.   This is where I pause and say, “do your research before signing up for anything.”

My first decision was which level to buy, the simple and cheapest level doesn’t give much, but would be fine if you’re looking to just post a few thoughts a few times a week.  That was not the direction I wanted, I wanted to start a team and become a viable place of information on a bevy subjects, I wanted a site.  I opted for the pro level, this level gives you as many sites as you want and it allows you to build your own site design from the Typepad templates, or if you know CSS you can go as far as you like with your design.  

Building the site was fairly easy, Typepad presents you with list of templates, trial and error and a full days work finally got me something close to what I was comfortable with.  Then there was the name, and this is important.  I chose the name Morningpaper, it was a name that even though the site would be updated 24hrs, accurately fit the motif, as we would be posting on every subject we could get our keypads on.  After you get your name, submit it and Typepad says you can have it, they tack on their own piece to your URL, so www.morningpaper.com became www.morningpaper.typepad.com, and shows up like this “//morningpaper.typepad.com/morning_paper/” in your browser.  That’s a lot to try and tell someone to remember in a casual conversation in line at Starbucks.  And then there’s the fact that whatever I wrote, in reality wouldn’t be owned by me and the writers.  Somehow this fact escaped me until a few months into it.  Since Typepad is a blogging community, you’re only renting space, they can shut you down and deny you access to your posts if they see fit.  I have no idea if they have ever done it to anyone, but it is a factor to consider, one that really takes shape in other ways as I will explain later.  (This is not uncommon with any blogging community).

As I stated earlier, I wanted morningpaper to be a website, good information, fun facts, daily events and a reason to hang around.  To achieve this a site must have interesting plugins that allow you to offer readers various choices easily accessible from a sidebar.  This is not something that Typepad excels at.  Something I became, well, jealous of as a began to notice the difference between sites on the Typepad platform and sites using the WordPress platform.  Like most things, these little nuances go unnoticed until you dive in and begin to learn the ins and outs of anything you become passionate about.  

Running a website/blog can become costly with the fee paid to Typepad or you hosting company.  If you wish to pay writers and be paid yourself for all of your hard work, you’re going to want sponsors or advertisers.  Google does a good job at helping with this on any platform, but if you’re looking for a serious business/career in blogging, Google Adsense won’t be enough.  This is another little factor that crept up on me as I went forth on Typepad.  Typepad’s .Typepad URL doesn’t make advertisers happy, even with a high Google rank which we achieved in a short amount of time.  

However, you can get around some of these factors on Typepad, I will explain in part two.

 

 

Mozilla set out to set a record for 24 hour downloads of their new Firefox 3.0.  Ten hours after the gun went off Firefox downloads were over 5 million.  That’s a lot of downloading.

But prior to this event there had been reports of Firefox gaining on Microsoft’s IE.  Not just Firefox, Safari and Opera are also gaining ground on the one time clear leader of the pack.

But rather than take the word of others, I decided to take a look at the “browser statistics” for morninpaper.  As you can see in the graph above, since moving here last month,  folks are viewing with Firefox at close to the same rate as with IE.  MSIE is still in the number one slot, but Firefox is close behind with Safari bringing in the 3rd slot.

So if this is any indication, those statistics seem to have some fact behind them.

 

You never know what you have until it’s gone.  I’ve been a news junky for the better part of my life, a habit I picked up from my short stint with my father.  He only watched news, that’s it.  He wouldn’t watch anything else, so while under his roof the only thing I saw on television was news, and guys talking politics.

When you’re a kid, somehow someway you pick up on authenticity.  I have a blurry memory of the day Tom Brokaw became the sole anchor of NBC Nightly News, but I do remember feeling like, okay, this is the guy to watch.  My memory of Tim Russert’s maiden voyage is even less so, I just simply remember seeing him on the odd Sunday morning that MTv was playing video’s I didn’t want to see.

Gradually “Meet the Press” became one of those shows I would always check in on.  Tim Russert, for me simply came to be the guy who would “nail” someone, like David Duke, a show that’s been talked about a lot in the last 24 hrs.  But if you didn’t see it when it happened, it’s hard to appreciate the impact it had.  David Duke was hated throughout the U.S., except in Louisiana where it looked as though he was about to become Governor.  To see Russert dismantle the man by asking one question, then allowing us to watch him fumble for the hammer and nail to seal his political campaign, was a thing of beauty.  It was also the moment Russert became a part of the family for the youth of my generation.  

As TV news gradually became the joke that it is today, Tim Russert on Meet the Press remained the stalwart journalist he always was.  He did not join in on the name calling, accusation, back and forth pompous bickering that is what news is today.  Instead, he became the face, that energy and that knowledge that would become a joy to watch each time he came on the screen.  His presence was called upon more and more, and each time he spoke from some little studio somewhere, it was extremely apparent that this guy was enjoying it.  He was the guy you wanted in your living room talking politics.

As I watched a puffy faced Olbermann, subdued Chuck Todd and crying Andrea Mitchell yesterday, among the long list of political names who grieved on national TV, I couldn’t help but wonder why.  Why is it people like Tim are taken from us so early and so suddenly?  Tim did not spread hatred on the air.  Tim did not act as though he knew better and was better than the rest of us.  Tim didn’t use the airwaves to threaten people he disagreed with, nor did he use the PROFESSION of journalism to promote one political party over the other, insisting that if you are not of his elk, you are a worthless American.  He didn’t call for ideological boycotts of products, countries or individuals from behind the “News Desk,” under the guise of “News.”  He strove to make the world a more informed, tolerable place to live in, and he did it with a warm smile, civility and journalistic objectivity that is hallmark of time and character long gone from news, and television in general. 

This is not to say I believe the man was a saint.  By all accounts, his personal life was one to admire, but I didn’t know him personally so I am not foolishly blanketing the man as the incarnation of God.  I am simply going on what I invited into my home on Sunday mornings, during Political campaigns and on the times when Tim appeared on someone’s show to lend his thoughts to a topic.  Tim was a mans man, a man that I knew inviting him into my home would not subject me to ideological demonization.  A man that by the time he left my home, I would know and understand a bit more about the world around me. 

When it is said that the world and journalism now has a hole in it, it’s not just a kind in-grief platitude, it’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

 

Tim Russert was truly a great man, and he never claimed it.  He never swung his suit jacket with moral authority or sat back in his chair posturing indignant supremacy.  He was the last guy one would expect to have to write a piece like this about, and last one, one would want to.  Some people you just simply expect to be there, because you want them there, because you count on them.  Like one’s father.  And when they are not, when they leave us, there is an unbalance that has long lasting effects.  We just lost a father, and the effects will be long lasting.

Peace be with you Tim, and thank you for being a part of my maturation. 

 

Yesterday while reading a post on a site dedicated to gadgets, I saw something quite comical.  Commentors were very upset with the author because they felt as though the author and the site was giving unequal time to Apple.  Then someone wrote about the failings of Microsoft, which prompted a response about the pomposity of Apple, and it just went downhill from there.  Suddenly I though I was on CNN’s political page, it was really funny to me.

I’ve always found it silly that anyone would get vehemently behind a product or company to the point of name calling and the like.  But it happens, and quite often.  I’ve been ranted on more than enough times, haters of the iPhone seem to spend an awful lot of time going around the net spreading their lonely, sad, pathetic anger.  

In this hotly contested political season I suddenly see a parallel.  Folks are arguing over Apple and Microsoft the way Sean Hannity (Slant Head) argues with himself over conservative and liberal.

So this raises an interesting question.  Which is which?  Is Apple “Republican” and Microsoft “Democrat?”  Or Is Microsoft “Republican” and Apple “Democrat?”  

And to the like, who would you vote for as president in a campaign between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates?  Yes, it should be Steve Ballmer, but that makes it too much like Obama vs McCain.  Besides, Bill Gates will always be the face and spirit behind Microsoft.  Which of these two companies and the leaders has the big Mo, and which would lead the country back onto the right track the right way?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

 

Yes, we all saw it.  We all collectively thought the same thing when Steve walked out onto the stage earlier this week.  And after the first 24 hours of 3G hype died down, the internet banter began.  Some worried, some questioning and some making fun.

The thing is, just like we all saw it, we are all touched by the sickness that is cancer in some way.  Now I have no idea if Steve’s appearance has anything to do with Cancer or any sickness at all, but that’s the bulk of the speculation.  Steve Jobs is a wealthy, powerful and very influential public personality, so in no way can he escape the kind of scrutiny he is receiving at the moment, nor should he expect to.  But for the sake of argument, let’s assume it is Cancer, the disease he was victorious over after being diagnosed in 2003.  If that is the case, it is no laughing matter.  Nor is it trite or up for debate.

This disease has forever altered the lives of all of us in some way, it too is powerful and a very influential public personality.  But which of the two deserves scrutiny and comedic judgement?  Neither, it’s far too serious a topic for that.  

Sometimes, somethings need to be left to their own devices.  A person who could very well be embarking on another fight for life, needs to be allowed the space to fight.  There’s no room for money making potential, power, prestige or perception in a battle for a chance to see another day.  

Personally, I think everyone should lay off on this and anything resembling it.  It’s a bit disheartening to see someone’s possible fight for life being put under a microscope and judged because some people love to hate Apple, a company.  Steve Jobs is a flesh and blood human, and so are the millions of others fighting the same fight.  Mocking one mocks us all, after all, in this age synthetic, pollution and radiating cellphones, we all stand a good chance of being one doctors check-up away from our own devastating battle.

 

The first time I saw this guy, or I should say, the first time I paid attention to him was on Hardball.  Joe Trippi, Mark Penn and David Axelrod were involved in a drug war in which Trippi (Edwards Campaign) jumped all over Penn in defense of the Obama campaign.

To the right of the screen stood this guy who looks like the guy that talks your head off about how cool the 70′s were.  Sure you agree, but you think “dude, get out of the bicentennial already.”

I remember thinking, “this is the guy running the Obama Campaign?”  ”They’re doomed”.  Really, take a look at this pic, note the strong contrast, and remember, he stood back and let Trippi fight the battle for “his” candidate.  

Now looking back I get it, this guy is the King of the “Rope a Dope.”  He was the kid who was really good at in a crowd, reaching around, plucking your ears and acting like he didn’t do it.  Basically, he’s slick, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  You don’t see him coming and before you know it you’ve lost an election.

What’s being lost in this nauseating “Should Hillary Clinton be Vice President” coverage, is what actually happened here.  Since 1992 the Republicans have been trying to take the Clintons down, and indeed they finally did with an impeachment.  And that didn’t even work.  Some in the Democratic party have tried to take the Clintons down, try, try, try to no avail, the Clintons are too well versed, entrenched and powerful.

And then comes this Black guy, from Chicago…. with a Muslim name.  And behind him is your 10th grade shop teacher. 

He put together the perfect campaign and did something no one else has been able to do.  Take down the Clintons.  He and Obama devised a plan on the ground to start a silent but deadly movement while everyone, and I mean everyone in the media was crowning Hillary Clinton the next President.  Then when his candidate won the very first round of actual voting, he kept his candidate cool, his team calm, and let everyone else go buck wild around him.  

After working for the campaigns of John Edwards, Tom Vilsak, Hillary Clinton and Elliot Spitzer, this Chi-town Jew found his perfect union, which is one reason I find it funny that there are claims of Jewish problems with the Obama campaign.  These two harken back to Sidney Poitier and his league of Jewish support.  They helped the actor rise to the pinnacle of the acting profession in a time in which a Black man had no business and no chance of being a dignified character on the silver screen.  And that quiet strong dignity carried over off the screen, a perfect union. This Axelrod/Obama union is a complete circle to a time that promised respect and equality, and showed us how to do it.  This is how Axelrod ran this campaign and this team.

I think it’s fairly certain that Axelrod will go down in history as one of the political genius’s of all time.  What he has accomplished and how he accomplished it is truly astounding.  The name Clinton is like the name Santa Claus, everyone knows it, no matter where you are.  This quiet unassuming guy in the background effectively overshadowed the giant and took it down with a beanstalk.

 

Men, I have just realized something very scary and very important!  We must act now before it is too late.  As I watched again today the angry women, almost foaming at the mouth, kicking and screaming in protest for their candidate Hillary Clinton, it suddenly occurred to me.  There was a divine female plan at work that someone in the CIA or FBI or CDC or SPCA uncovered, and has been working hard behind the scenes to stop.

Like those voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky rightly figured out, if Barack Obama is the President, he will immediately give all Blacks in America “Most Favored Statues”.  Overnight Blacks will dominate the fields of Medicine, Insurance, Auto, Banking and most disturbing, Law Enforcement.  Those voters did their best to save America from such a deed, because after all, a Black man can only do for another Black man….It’s been proven, Just look at the latest polls.

But I fear with all of those voters uncovering that fact, they overlooked another and dare I say scarier truth.  Unlike those in the Black community who got the memo, because all Blacks got the memo titled “Mums the Word”, telling them to vote, but that’s it, no yelling and screaming, protesting and threatening, some women didn’t get Hillary’s memo, “Today Men Go Down On Us”.  Also, some women took it as a sexual reference and not the revolutionary decree it was meant to instruct.

White voters in those aforementioned states, ya done good.  You alerted America, that Black fellow is gonna integrate our Wal-Marts, and make one of them a manager.  But White men, you overlooked something here, and sadly you’ll have to enlist the help of Hispanic, Asian, Indian and yes, even Black men to stop it.  If Hillary Clinton steals this election, and by the grace of the Almighty (who might be a woman) manages to beat John McCain in the General Election, she and her ravenous band of women will immediately decree all men slaves, subservient to woman forever more.  You’ve heard them say it time and time again, “It’s Our Time Now!” “We Deserve This.”  

Somehow we men failed to read between the lines and comprehend exactly what is being said within these statements.  But I saw it yesterday at the DNC committee meeting.  They have had a plan.  And like those White freedom marchers of the 60′s, some of us men have been brainwashed into voting and supporting our own demise. I can only guess that those like Harold Ickes have been promised a high powered job like male rounder upper, or something like that.  In charge of making sure we men fall in line and tend the fields picking cotton for soft cotton female under garments.  We’ll get hot dogs while he eats steak in the big house, after serving the women their meal.  

This Democratic primary race blinded us.  Here we thought we were voting for a Presidential nominee, only to discover that we are really only voting for one of two things.

1. An America flipped on its axis and handed over to the Blacks, because a Black guy is the President.

2. An America handed over to women to which men cook and clean and some day give birth because a woman is President.

Neither scenario is acceptable.  We can stop this with four more years of Bush policy.  No housing, no medicare, no female reproductive rights, War with Iran, more years in Iraq, $15 a gallon gas, Corporate control and so on, are all far more acceptable alternatives to the two aforementioned possible realities.  Those angry foaming at the mouth women at yesterdays meeting agree.  If they can’t make us men slaves under their Leader, who has made the claim “It’s our time” and “I am running for Women”, then John McCain, who after all is White, and will surely continue to ensure the American White way of life, is the best and only choice for us men, and those “Democrat women”.  The poor White folk of America who can barely see the light of day, have been served well by the White men in the Bush administration, and every single one before him.  So America must not and can not fall for the brain washing of either of these two candidates.

But most importantly, we cannot allow the male gender to fall victim to the “legions” of women who are demanding their leader be crowned.  To the detriment of men.  That is something that must not happen.

But at least we men can take solace in this:  If they don’t get their pre-ordained way, there are thousands of women, women who call themselves Democrats.  Women who have lived in America for the last 8 years, women with sons and daughters victimized by an unnecessary war, victimized by a crumbling economy, women who have now promised they will vote the Kentucky way, they way of West Virginia, of America!  They will stand with us men to ensure that Black bastard doesn’t make Flava Flav Secretary of Homeland Security, Father Michael Pfleger Press Secretary and Denzel Washington head of the CIA.  Even though he’s pretty good in those movies.

Those women have ensured us that we will not become slaves, yet.  So we have a choice men, it’s not between Republican and Democrat values.  It’s not between a new direction verses four more years of what we have lived through in the last eight.  It’s not between a renewed sense of hope verses a guy backing policies that have brought this country to the brink no, it’s between an everlasting Rap video and disbanding of the KKK, or a lifetime of ” The L Word” and “Sex In The City” where the closest we men will get to the action is making the beds when the women are done. 

I fear in this election we have to follow the lead of those women who call themselves Democrats.  I know, no one wants to follow a woman but, it looks like the CIA has done its job, and Hillary Clinton won’t get her chance to enslaves us men until at least 2012.  And since we are told that “ALL” women are behind her, and we’ve heard the Clinton women say out loud ” I will Vote for McCain”, we must follow their lead and join with.  For now.  because we all know, (us men anyway) that when McCain gets into office, he’ll do everything he can to strip away as many rights for women as he can, and that’s all we can hope for.

So let’s get to work men!  No to male slavery! No to The Jefferson’s! Yes to four more years of Bush!  The smart choice for America!  Even Hillary Clinton’s league of women voters agree!

In a disturbing article posted by NEWS OF THE WORLD, lovers GLYN TROWBRIDGE, 45, and 16-year-old LISA WRIGHT came out of hiding last night with an exclusive interview with NOTW and claimed, “We are in love—and we ARE going to get married.” 

 

Worried mother, Angela, called police after Lisa disappeared four weeks ago in her school uniform. Then out of nowhere, Glyn and Lisa emerged revealing intimate details about their relationship and the future the two plan to have together. The teenager had this to say: 

“I find everything attractive about Glyn. We’ve no money so there’s no presents, but that wouldn’t bother me anyway. He’s always there for me.”

She also reveals: “We have sex up to four times a day. And it’s me who usually asks Glyn… I can’t keep my hands off him. We’re using condoms but I want to go on the Pill soon.”

This is so wrong on so many levels. Glyn has no job, has mental problems and is a grandfather. But he isn’t the only unstable one. Lisa states she has suffered from depression and tried to kill herself when she was 11. She said: “I ended up in hospital after an overdose and cutting my wrists with razor blades.”

Desperate mom wants Lisa to come home stating, “She’s thrown her future away for this man. I’ve no idea what she sees in him. He’s no Brad Pitt.”

Well, duh! Isn’t there a law against this sort of thing? Doesn’t jailbait apply here? Is sex with a minor legal in England? READ THE FULL STORY FROM NOTW.

 

 

In a world where everyone loves Apple pie, and all mothers are absolutely fantastic, Hillary Clintons Big Landside 35% Win in Kentucky was the start of a whole new ball game.  But since some like myself can’t stand Apple Pie, and some mothers flat out suck, in the real world Barack Obama effectively ended this primary campaign, even before his victory in Oregon was announced.  

The delegates he won in Kentucky were enough to put him over the needed delegate count of 1627.  Obama made note of this in is speech on the steps of the capitol building in Iowa.  

But of course, Clinton vowed to press on.  Television pundits did their best to support her vow by touting her win in a state where 21% of those “asked”, said their vote was based on race.  That number is even higher than the West Virginia number.  They tried to buttress her stated by touting her landside victory in a state that will no way, no how, not in anyones dream go Blue in the General election, no matter who the candidate is in the democratic party.  

They tried to shore up her cause by touting her margin in a state that they themselves point out at every turn, is a state of “hard working, blue collar [uneducated] voters”.  What is the veiled meaning of this term “uneducated” as it is to apply in a political primary?  A statement that they have been making profusely for the last five or so primary contest.

Brace yourself because this is going to sound harsh.  Smart states vote for Obama, and dumb states vote for Clinton.  This is what they are saying, only they are using the words “educated” and “Uneducated”.  This demographic breakdown began to rear it’s head during the Ohio primary, the state that tipped the scale for Bush in 2004.  But they (the two terms) really became a bully point in West Virginia and Kentucky.  Two states that stated their racial dissatisfaction, as well as the fact that if Obama is the nominee, they will vote for McCain, something they would do regardless.  Two poor decimated states eagerly ready to vote against their best interest, again, because of race.  And let’s face it, if it were Hillary come November, they would vote against their best interest because of gender and Rush, Hannity and Fox. 

After Texas, every state that Hilary Clinton has won, outside of Indiana where she won by the skin of her nose, has been categorized as primarily uneducated and less affluent.  Every state that Obama has won has been categorized as the exact opposite.  Even North Carolina where they stressed the fact that NC is a college state and it’s demographics have been changing in the last ten years.  And let’s not forget, Mitt Romney beat MacCain by margins higher than those posted by Clintons last two victories. And Mitt Romney is at home right now. Television pundants stare into the camera with a straight face and report this veiled truth in veiled terms that leave viewers like me wondering why they won’t state the obvious.  So this viewer will. Maybe It’s time those “Educated” states start having more say in who the President is, or at the very least the nominee.  Because any state where it’s electorate can openly (inwardly is still too much to ask for) admit that it’s basing the state of the union on “race,” in the year 2008, is stupid.

I’m not making a statement here, I’m stating the facts as laid out by the exhaustedly collected exit polling. And by the way, I was born in Ohio.  

So even though the mathematical equation is so far off the chalkboard that Hillary Clinton would have to stand in the hallway and wait for the janitor to bring that extra rolling chalkboard, Hillary still sees a way for her to win her parties nomination with the help of veiled terms on TV.  So we will have to listen to more of this crap for two more weeks when the hard math made the decision tonight. 

Last night, after I posted on Palm’s Tony Brown and what he had to say about the state of Palm’s new OS, I began to get a tad bit perturbed.  Those accustomed to Morninpaper’s stylings know that this is not too uncommon.  Being a longtime Palm user and fan, I have been known to ruffle the feather of a Palm fan… Or two.  But let me be clear on this, I have no blind allegiance to anything except my mother and God, and even they can test me sometimes.  If I feel that something, no matter how much I advocate for it is wrong, I will let those feelings fly, even if it’s my own advocacy.  Now, maybe I’m getting… annoyed out of place here, and you can tell me if you think so, but I just don’t think Palm really cares about the community that keeps it in the news.

The net is riddled with sites that have devoted time and cash to the cause that is Palm.  Sites like PalmAddicts, Palminfocenter, TreoCentral and Palm-Mac to name a few, give readers updated news on everything and anything Palm, and yes, I include Morninpaper in that list.

Even though somewhat unrelated, when a representative of Palm sat down to discuss in some part the future of Palm, and then stood up done with said interview without shinning a single flare on a spec of light, I felt….Dissed. 

Never mind the fact that the only time someone from Palm reaches out to any of the hard working Palm blogs is to squash some rumor, demand the pull of a leak or clarify a misunderstood quote.  No, we can put that aside, that’s just business.  But when given the opportunity to let us go to work on Palm’s behalf, they don’t even give up a time card.  MorningPaper, now Morninpaper.com leaked and started the firestorm that is the Palm Centro.  That torch was carried by every Palm loyal blog, Tech blog and blogs that would really rather see Palm go away, all across this big blue globe.  I’m not trying to claim credit for the Centro being a selling machine, far from it.  But what I am saying is that interest that was created by that leak helped to get thousands hyped on the idea of a new Palm device.  By the time the thing actually hit the market folks couldn’t wait to see it in person.  And that’s what we do.  For every brand within their perspective loyal blogging. 

RIM seems to know this.  It’s no coincidence that BGR and Crackberry get the lowdown on Blackberry news before just about anyone else.  There is a pipeline that RIM unscrews the cap on, and the trickle of info finds its way to the advocates that will help fan the excitement through some of the nets most fervent Blackberry advocates.  Does it get out of hand? Yep.  I’m sure that there is info that makes it down that pipeline that leaves RIM asking, “who unscrewed the pipe?”  But they turn and look at their stock ticker and forget all about it.  

This is where the actions of Palm boggle my mind.  Not that I think Palm should be in the game of personally leaking information in a quiet sly manner.  No, that Palm doesn’t say anything at all.  They don’t play the coy games that elude to news that we must pick through and debate at nauseam.  On second thought, that is what they do.  The truth of the matter is this.  If Tony Brown let a juicy tidbit fly, or anyone from Palm, we on the net would have spent the next 7 straight news days discussing, mocking-up, rendering, planning for and most importantly, bringing the Palm brand back into the spotlight.

And maybe it’s true, the whole Folieo thing most likely left them shell shocked and gun shy.  But this is big business, with tons of awe striking competition out there.  Buck up and get over it.  While palm users look to their favorite Palm blogs for new and exciting news, and all they get is updates on the same 7 Palm software titles, RIM, GOOGLE, APPLE, NOKIA, HTC and SAMSUNG are treating their loyalist to party invitations that read like the ones reading it are the only ones who know, making them feel specially invited to the next secret launch party.  Okay, maybe not Apple.  But Apple doesn’t need it.

Frankly at this point it just doesn’t feel like palm really cares about the community that works so hard to spread its news.  They just don’t seem to take their loyalist seriously.  As if to say, “Who needs em’, folks will buy our goods with or without them.”  And there could be some truth to that.  But let’s just remember, if it were not for the blogisphere, the Folieo would be on the Best Buy shelf right now, single handedly pulling Palm into the dark recesses of retail store rooms. So evidence does seem to support the notion that Blogs, those that are loyal to Palm, could go a long way in helping them succeed.  

So why doesn’t Palm see it that way?  Or are they like the Clintons, living in decade’s old way of doing things, and thinking that it will work again in the new world.

 

 

To be fair, when we first broke the news of the coming Treo 800w, I had no real interest even then.  I don’t do Windows so this new Palm had no real appeal to me.  But it was however, a new Palm device.  When we broke the news about the Centro (then Gandolf), I also knew then that I would have no interest, but again, it was a new Palm device.  Way back then my whistle was poised and ready to blow for the coming 800p, which was whispered into my ear as “coming soon”.  Well I’ve been waiting and waiting, and waiting.  In the meantime, that wait as provided enough time for me to put my 755p down and pick up a Blackberry 8830 for awhile.  And as many of you may know already, I was surprised and shocked to discover that I like the darn thing.  Since then RIM has peaked my interest a bit, and other than the name, the Bold looks like quite a device.  It’s one of three new Blackberries that carry with it that wow factor, creating much anticipation.

Are we feeling the same for the 800w?

The Centro, being it’s own little animal, has been a great seller for Palm, but it isn’t stopping the bleeding.  Now, I’m beginning to wonder if RIM’s new offering have opened up a new wound.  A deep and possible life threatening gash that Palm won’t be able to survive from.  What do you do?  I mean as a long time Palm fan and user, what do you do, what do you hope they listen to when you try to bestow some of your consumer wisdom on them?  Palm has gotten extremely tight lipped about coming devices, and I’m afraid that we are a part of the reason for that.  But I want to see something that will make these new BB devices take a back seat for awhile.  I’m not convinced that the 800w is going to be the device to that.

1GB of on-board memory with 128 of Flash and a 2megapixel camera, on a Blackberry?  With HTML email support?  A Touchscreen Blackberry with WiFi debuting on a CDMA network?  A Blackberry Clamshell?  That’s rough competition.  I won’t even go into the 3G iPhone realm.  Right now what’s physical is the Blackberry Bold.  The 800w is in the hands of testers and could still be another quarter or two off, making it’s release right around the same time as a Blackberry codenamed Thunder, supporting widescreen touchscreen.  Is this even a fair fight?  Of course it’s not supposed to be, but how in the world is Palm going to do battle with this sort of onslaught?  

And none of this takes into account what HTC will be releasing, carrying with it virtually the same Windows Mobile on board.  I have to voice this again, I truly fear for Palms future.

What could be said to Ed that would slow the bleeding before the 800w launch.  Then knowing that it will be up against stiff competition, what could or should be said that may help turn the ship around before the end of the year when far more fresh and feature filled devices begin to crowd the market?  

This is really a very disturbing issue for a longtime Palm advocate who really ultimately wants to see Palm innovate, lead and just plain do well.  But from this ringside vantage point, isn’t looking like a fair fight any longer. 

 

It gives me great pleasure to bring you my review on a new children’s book that I had the great pleasure of reading over the weekend.  ”Good Morning, Friend Moon” which just happens to be authored by one of morninpaper’s own, Aaron J. Walker, is a smart, warm fuzzy look at the job of the two lights in the sky.  Done with warm colors, and child-like sketches, Good Morning, Friend Moon gave me that feeling that you want when reading a book to your child.  The feeling of being a kid.

Aaron takes his strength of writing on all things Microsoft (and other topics), and throws them right out the window, which in my opinion is exactly what’s needed from a skilled writer.  I am always happy to discover that my friends and colleagues have talents far and above what has been immediately shown.  Aaron went missing from us for awhile after telling me that he was nose deep in a project he really needed to finish, and boy did he finish it.  He not only finished a wonderful book, but started a publishing company with a website and it’s first offering, Good Morning, Friend Moon.

If you’ve followed Aaron’s post, then you know he has a thing for Amazon’s Kindle, and that’s what he’s going after with his children’s books.  Good Morning, Friend Moon can be read to your child from your Kindle or any other e-reader. This comes in handy for the long trips back from grandma’s house.  

Now, just so you know that this is a completely unbiased review, morninpaper readers should remember that I am not a fan of e-readers.  And if someone gives me a product to review, and I don’t like it, I won’t post a review.  This comes particularly hard as I am a writer and artist, which always makes it a bit harder to be objective in these matters.  Artist always tend to look or listen critically as opposed to just looking.

I really enjoyed this book, and I don’t have kids.  The approach that Aaron took with the drawings is really appealing.  I can imagine being a parent and getting caught up in the pictures when your supposed to be reading to your kids.  But your small children will absolutely be engaged.  We all wondered what was up with the sun and the moon when we were tiny ones.  Aaron endeavors to spell out the technical in a way that’s digestible and fun.

Example:

The story follows the moon telling the sun why it is so sleepy, going through the events of the night prior with all of the task our moon provides us.

Writing a story for small children is very difficult.  There is a fine line that cannot be crossed, and Aaron manages to stay on the right side of it.  And I cannot stress enough my enjoyment with the decision he made on how to approach the artwork.  

What is equally impressive here is the approach of bridging a time honored tradition of reading to your child, with the newest of technologies.

Good Morning, Friend Moon is available through WalkBroadPublishing at www.walkbroadpublishing.com

If you have children, do yourself a favor and have yourself a look, it’s well worth it.  Aaron plans on publishing a string of children’s books, and with this first offering, I’m positive that he and his series will be wildly popular.

You did good Aaron!

  One of the greatest things about owning computers and smartphones for me is trying out and using new applications.   The constant search for better and better apps to try out on the Treo or the Blackberry is as much fun as using the ones I really like.

  I have so many apps on my Macs that I forget and download them again.  Then there are those that I think I could not live without.   I have a great respect for the development community.  The time they put into great functioning applications for different platforms is not unlike the time I put into learning how to play several instruments, and then striving to make happy with the knowledge. 

But there is something that is happening that I noticed with my Treo 755p last year.  I began to use my installed apps less and less.  With Google apps like Google Docs and Gmail, I could get a lot done without taking up space on my Treo.

Then there’s "Netvibes" and "Phone Favs" that give me tons of RSS feeds, notes, task, the dreaded weather and all, all from the net.   Since starting my trip down Blackberry lane, I’ve installed a few apps that I really like, and have a reviewed a few with more to come.  But I find that I am still using a lot of the "online" apps that I have set up with more and more frequency.    Even down to Voicemail with SimulScribe.   Which at its heart, is an online app. 

The internet is increasingly becoming a place where one can get a lot done, and since a lot of these services are free, why not take advantage of them.   But every so often I get that junkie urge.  Jonesing you might say.  I need to get out and find a new app to try out and see if it will truly benefit my cellular usage.  But ultimately I end up at Netvibe or Google.   As I stated in another post, I don’t even use "MSWord" anymore.

It makes me wonder if a once increadibly stupid statement by Bill Gates, won’t turn out to be profoundly true.   We’ll never need more than 64 MB of memory.

    It’s time to update and take another look at the four major US wireless plans and how they stack up for your bottom line. 

  Since the last installation a wave swept through the industry like a
money saving tsunami, swirling up high expectations and slamming down
few benefits. 

  But after taking a look at all of the combine plans, I have found
that some companies do offer more when they use the term “Unlimited”
then others.

  For my money, or lack thereof, an “Unlimited” plan is the only way to
go.  If you’re a frequent talker, high talker or close talker, being
able to use your phone for as long as the battery will take you is a
good thing.

If you’re a data hound, (as I am) being able to surf the internet,
send and receive email and whatever else you do with a data connection,
without fear of MB charges is Freeing.

  If your thing is SMS or MMS (as mine is), sometimes even when you have
300 to 500 messaging plans, you can find yourself on the business end
of a big surprise come billing time.

So the idea of Unlimited was a long time coming and can be a big help toward your daily cellular life.

So here are the plans and details of your favorite wireless carrier.

Listed by order of Top ranking

AT&T: Unlimited Plan $99

Rate Plan Details
          
Anytime Minutes    Unlimited
Night & Weekend minutes     Unlimited
Mobile to Mobile minutes        Unlimited
Long Distance                             $0.00
Roaming Charges                      $0.00
Additional minutes                   $.00 per minute
One-time activation fee             $36.00
Contract length    2 years

Included Features
Three-Way Calling
Call Forwarding
Unlimited Mobile to Mobile Calling
Caller ID
Call Waiting
Basic Voice Mail
Long Distance

If you want text, GPS, Blackberry Plans, and so on, they will all cost you extra as add-on plans. So if you want to be safe and get 1500 text messages, it will cost you an extra $15.  If you can deal with 200 messages, it will cost you $5.

Want GPS?

TeleNav GPS Navigator 10 Routes                    $5.99 a month 
TeleNav GPS Navigator Unlimited Routes     $9.99 a month

Want Data?

MEdia Net Unlimited                                             $15.00 a month 
BlackBerry® Personal                                             $30.00 a month 
PDA Personal                                                            $30.00 a month 
BlackBerry® Personal Bundle                              $50.00 a month 
PDA Personal Bundle                                             $50.00 a month 
PDA Personal with tethering                                $60.00 a month 
BlackBerry® Personal with tethering                 $60.00 a month

So as you can see, your unlimited AT&T plan can get pricey real fast.  As soon as you start adding on those extras you’re going to want, look out for a at highest $183.99 or at cheapest $139.99 bill plus tax and fees that no one has been able to explain.  I did not include the plan for the iPhone which is an entirely different animal.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Verizon Unlimited $139.99
 

Unlimited Text, Picture, Video & Instant Messaging
Mobile Email
VCAST VPak
VZ Navigator
Unlimited Mobile Web 2.0
Unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes
Unlimited National  Calling
No Domestic Long Distance Charges
3-way calling
Voice Mail
Caller ID

This plan does not include Smartphones such as Palm devices, Blackberries or Windows mobile phones.  Web 2.0 is not the real internet.

Want a Smartphone Unlimited plan?
$149.99 includes all of the above except VZ Navigator and VCAST VPak

Want a Blackberry Unlimited Plan?
$149.99 includes all of the above except VZ Navigator and VCAST VPak

For $10 more you get unrestricted use of the internet.  But if you want VZNavigator (GPS) $9.99 Monthly Access, and VCAST VPak $25.00 or $15.00.  At highest $184.98 at cheapest $139.99 plus tax and fees. But that $139.99 is serviced only on VZW VCast phones with very limited internet and email choices.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

T-Mobile Unlimited $99.99

All national voice plans include:

No nationwide long-distance or roaming charges
Nationwide Whenever Minutes®
A low rate for additional minutes
This plan features:

Whenever minutes     Unlimited
Weekend minutes                                                              Unlimited
Weeknight minutes                                                           Unlimited
myFaves minutes                                                               Unlimited
Mobile to mobile minutes                                                Unlimited
Shared minutes                                                                   None
Additional minutes                                                           $.00 per minute
Data transfer                                                                        None

This is for their Basic phones.  Want a Blackberry or other Smartphone?

BlackBerry Unlimited Add-on
Add access to BlackBerry’s powerful data functionality to a voice rate plan. The BlackBerry Unlimited Add-on includes unlimited BlackBerry Web Client e-mail and Web browsing. Does not include text/instant messaging. $19.99 per month

T-Mobile Internet
The T-Mobile Total Internet Add On Feature gives you unlimited Internet access and unlimited T-Mobile HotSpot access. Use T-Mobile Internet to access your e-mail and browse the Internet no matter where you are. Does not include text/insant messaging.
Windows Mobile Email Only Add-on  $9.99 per month

T-Mobile Total Internet Add-on $19.99 per month

Want Texting?
$14.99 Unlimited or $4.99 for 400

At highest $133.98 at cheapest $99, without internet or text, just unlimited voice.  T-Mobile also has a myFavs unlimited plan for $139.99 per month, which frankly, I don’t understand the point of.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sprint Unlimited Everything $99

  Everything your phone, PDA or smartphone can do nationwide — text, surf, email, listen, watch, find and, of course, talk — on one simple plan.

This plan includes
Unlimited mobile internet and messaging: Web surfing, email, GPS Navigation, Sprint Music, Sprint TV®, BlackBerry® Internet Services (BIS), text, pictures, video
Domestic long distance and roaming
900/450 plans: Unlimited mobile to mobile, night calling starting at 7 p.m. and weekends

The Unlimited everything plan for $99 includes Unlimited voice, nights and weekends don’t apply. 

As far as this plan goes, the above says it all.  Everything is included, everything.  No need to add-on.   Same rules apply for every type phone.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

For this breakdown I only included “Single User” plans.  I did not include “Alltel” because I have yet to meet a single person on the network.  Sorry if this excludes you. 

For my money the clear winner here is Sprint.  It’s a shame they can’t get their act together concerning customer service.  They clearly still best the competition when it comes to giving you your mobile money’s worth.

But there you have it, the four top US carriers and their “Unlimited” plan breakdown. 

  I had the good fortune to get my hands on the 8830 months before it was released on Sprint.  I wrote a detailed review on the device and was very impressed with it.  But as a Palm man (that sounds weird every time I write it) I just couldn’t make the leap to the stodgy boring world of Blackberry.

  But for whatever reason, I could never keep my eye from completely turning away from it.

  Last month MP got it’s hands on another 8830.  12 days ago I decided to activate it and for reviews of software and hardware.

  6 days ago I began using it as the primary device for calls and data.  Today, the 12th day….. Well….. My 755p keeps looking at me from its Sedio cradle.  It just stares at me like a best friend in grade school that stopped talking to me because I got a girlfriend and stopped hanging out as much.

I have to say, I am very surprised at how much I like the 8830, and the Blackberry OS.  In all of these 12 days, I have not suffered one single reset, stall or pause.  I can’t get through a day without my Treo reseting.

Now, I’m not abandoning the Treo.  There are still a great many things that I love about my Treo.  But I am surprised at how much the BB OS has evolved   And how easy it is to work with.  There are draw backs, and as this is the first installment of my BB experience, I won’t get in to too much of that yet.  But there is one very big drawback.

If you’re a Mac user, you’re screwed.  Very few titles, abilities and features are Mac friendly.  This of course is STUPID!  Myopic developers leave out the Apple platform and lose out on a ton of cash.  But for the end user like myself, it leaves us high and dry on the sidelines watching the cool kids play with cool toys.

But that has not hindered my enjoyment with this device.  I don’t even miss the camera ( I never use it on my Treo’s), I actually realized this this morning. 

The trackball takes a bit of getting use to, and every now and then I reach for the screen to no avail, but those are just habits.   Habits can be broken.

I will be detailing my thoughts over the next week so stay tuned. 

Apple has really started a fire storm with their Visual Voicemail on the iPhone.  Not that they started it, they didn’t invent the technology, they just made it desirable.  Since their announcement, Voicemail to email services have popped up all over the place.  Some in a very short amount of time have already been buried, and some like "GrandCentral" have been bought up by the likes of Google.  And some have hung in there by the merit of their product.

Some of you may already know that I use CallWave to get my voicemail messages delivered to me via VisualVoicemail through Email.  The tale of lore, how I got VisualVoicemail to work on Sprints absolutely ridiculous pain in the butt forwarding system is now a thing of legend.

So far I have really enjoyed Callwave.  But there is another out there, always looming over my shoulder, beckoning "try me, I’m better".  It’s like the really hot girl who keeps looking at you from the table directly behind the girl you’re just getting to know. 

From a few accounts out there, Simulscribe has got it going on.  Folks swear by it.  But folks swear by CallWave as well, so which one offers the best service.  The only real way to find out is to try it.  So off I go, no more Callwave, it’s all up to SimulScribe now.   It’s only been a day in a half, so this is the introduction to which service I think is better.   But I will tell you that right off the back there are a few things that I like about SimulScribe.   Better yet, I tell you one thing.  You can delete your messages.  Both services offer the same type of online application that allows you to listen to and do whatever you want with your message on the net.  But Callwave doesn’t have a freakin "Delete" option.  So I have hundreds of messages that I can’t delete.  This was the very first thing I noticed when I opened the SimulScribe account page for my new mailbox, the delete button.  You can choose to keep the message forever and let your grandchildren deal with them after you’re dead, or you can delete them after you’ve listened to them.  Imagine that, a delete button.

Anyway, stay tuned, I will be talking a bit more on what I think and how the two services stack up.

If you were every in doubt about how much power the Clintons still hold over this country, this past weekend should have helped you out. In fact, it doesn’t stop with Sunday. Tonight she’ll be on “the Daily Show”, the night before the most important primary of her and Bill’s career.

If any other candidate, in particular Barack Obama, Christopher Dodd, Joe Biden and the rest of them had lost 11 straight, found themselves down 150 delegates and witnessed a lead of over 20 points shrink to dead even in the last two BIG primary states, non of them could get even airtime on a local newscast. Yet Hilary Clinton has managed to get her face on just about every major broadcast network, major blog, and major show.

They have managed to turn the guy who wins into the guy who must win or he’s a loser all thanks to your “Yes Ma’am” News and fake news. This is really quite remarkable to watch. This really shows you who has the power in this country. Two families that have owned the White House for a major chunk of my life.

Sad

Here we go folks! It’s starting. What was recently dubbed the “Silly Season” of politics is locked, loaded and firing. Now one of the Democratic Presidential candidates is under attack for not wearing a pin on is lapel. A “fashion” statement that started after 911 but has increasingly been absent on politicians from both sides of the aisle is the subject for for the dismissal of a candidate. In fact, yesterday a Republican Senator went on the Dan Abrams show (a dumb show) to speak against the candidate and question his amount a patriotic pride because the candidate (Obama) doesn’t wear one. Dan, in a rare moment of brilliance, asked him why he was not in fact wearing one at that moment. He wasn’t wearing a pin that he was chastising someone for not wearing.

Then there’s the name Hussien. I’m not sure here, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a baby stick out a piece of paper with his/her name on it before he/she exits the womb. I seem to remember sometime back in my school days learning that parents name their children. In fact I remember my mother telling me something about that when I was really young.

Then there’s something that has been fascinating me for months now. Each time someone on TV talks about Hilary Clintons base, or a part of it I should say, they describe them as the “less educated” and Obama’s as the “More Educated”, based on salary, graduating statues and region.

Words and phrases are powerful, so if you refer to a group as “less Educated” because they fit into a certain demographic, what you are saying to that person that knows that they fit into those demographics is he/she is stupid, because that’s what he/she hears.

This is what the “Silly Season” is counting on. It prescribes to the notion that those that must work harder to make ends meet don’t have the time, inclination or intelligence to vote for their best interest. Now, the majority of Americans must work harder to make ends meet these days. This is why “Flag Pins” and “Names” end up at the forefront of American Politics. Politicians bank on High School life. School yard tactics. Picking on someone’s name, picking on someone for not wearing what the “in-crowd” wears, not looking or acting like the “in-crowd” and placing an air of fear around one group that at anytime can beat you up after school.

This seems to me to be based around the theory that most adults never really leave high school, their heyday, the best days of their lives. Days in which those factors were the way it was, period.

So as we leap toward $4 gas, people losing their homes daily, rising unemployment, a recession no one wants to admit to, the credit crunch, tainted beef, lead paint on toys, China owning America outright, soldiers dying and being maimed in Iraq, a mastermind of the death of millions of Americans producing video tapes at will, the cost of food, the cost of energy, a warming planet, decrepit bridges and roads, an entire city still destroyed on and on, what’s more important is who’s the coolest on the campus. Which follows the idea that in High School, it was always better to be “cool” and “accepted” than it was to be “smart” and interested in learning. And boy, wasn’t it great when you or someone made someone else look stupid!!? And rumors! So many rumors in High School that were almost never ever true. They were always started by someone who wanted to hurt a particular person for some dumb reason. But that person had to walk the halls with a stigma that had no reality behind it.

What makes this so sad is it works. It works every single year. John McCain lost his first bid because he had a “Black baby” that he never had. John Kerry lost in part because he didn’t serve in a war that he served in. Dukakis lost because he wore a military hat. Hart lost because he kissed a woman’s toes, what’s wrong with that? Look at all the aforementioned problems we’re facing, and I left out a lot. Does it work? Does the school yard crap really work? Sure does, but not for Americas best interest.

Disagreeing on issues and voting on principal is one thing. Voting against a name, an accessory or personal love lives is STUPID! And this is what they are counting on. They tell you this fact everyday by placing you in a demographic, group, class, social economic stratus, race whatever you call it, it plays itself out like High school. And one thing is for sure, if those high school tactics work again, then we’ll never graduate.

Let me again first start by saying how sad I am that PDAPerformance has vacated the Palm scene. They made very good Palm apps. Now that it’s all over, I can tell you that I was a beta tester for Saguaro, this app had it been seen through to it’s final, would have set the Palm fan base on fire. It was HOT!

If anyone downloaded and used Line-Up, I’m sure that they would be in agreement that it is a fantastic app that had an incredible amount of promise as more and more “widgets” hit the scene. But alas, it is not to be.

But it does spring forth a bigger question. What does it all mean? Or does it mean anything at all. In their very well written good-bye letter, the team states that their decision to leave had a lot to do with the lagging sales and support for the Palm OS. This is a pill that is very hard to swallow for us long time Palm users. But like most truths, I think it sits there in the back of our minds, nagging and teasing. Palm does not excite anymore.

There are so many extremely good devices hitting the market now. I hate to bring it up, but the iPhone is unstoppable and it deserves that praise. With the SDK, there will nothing it can’t do that the PalmOS and software developers do on Palm devices. In fact, let’s be honest here, the iPod Touch is cooler.

There is excitement around a host of phones. The Centro is Palms saving grace at the moment, but it’s just a cheaper thinner Treo. If you’re to be honest about it, there is nothing there that adds to the new phase of mobile devices exciting the tech hungry public. It’s just cheap. Hard to beat $99.

When companies like PDAPerfomance bow out, a huge sucking sound is heard. Are we going to see more and more Palm only developers follow? I think we might. 2009 is a long way off and although I find it hard to believe that at this point Palm is going to pack it up, it’s hard to see how one can put food on the table serving only the Palm community. Palm fans are defecting like voters of a current Presidential candidate.

Sometimes it only takes that one well known to lead the masses to the other side of the river. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months to the Palm community and how Palm responds before 2009.

This is more of a question than personal opinion, although like most things there is personal opinion weaved into the question. Yesterday, in the quest to be first and get the scoop, according to all accounts, Prince Harry’s life was put in jeopardy when the Drudge Report printed a story about his service in Afghanistan. According to all accounts, most media outlets knew of his whereabouts but honored the British Governments request to keep the story under wraps for fear of his safety (which in itself is odd considering it’s a battlefield). But then love is a Battlefield and the Brits love their Prince Harry.

The Brits are furious about this, and it won’t take long before a call to take action begins. Now, when a person puts on the uniform, picks up a gun and begins firing on the “enemy” he/she is a soldier and should not get special treatment above any other soldier. But there are exceptions to this rule.

Just for a moment imagine if one of the Bush twins decided to suit up and hit the front line. The US government asked that everyone keep quiet about her whereabouts. Then some well known British publication prints her whereabouts. There is no doubt that the majority of Americans would be outraged. Some soldiers carry far larger bounties than others, sadly. This puts her life and the lives of other soldiers in greater danger.

But Drudge tends to lean more in one political favor than the other. I find it odd that those who normally would scream bloody murder at anything that smacks of unpatriotic are very silent on this issue.

I see yet another set of home grown rules being swept under the proverbial rug with a broom that has no party affiliation, but has a wide brush.

Okay, so as it turns out this is more personal opinion than a question. But what do you think?

Anyone remember early last year (2007) when the announcement came from RIM that there would be a Virtual Blackberry ready “soon?” It was to be first take over Windows Mobile phones then on to Palm.

Palm, WinMO and Blackberry users went a little nuts over the idea (including yours truly). Well if memory serves me right, there was more good will for the idea than ill. So what happened? I’ve searched high and low for the last day or so and have yet to find a program I can download, or the mere mention of it after the summer of 2007.

Did RIM give up on the idea? Was there no interest after the iPhone came and began to kick everyone in the royal behind? What gives?

If RIM released the Virtual Blackberry for your favorite OS tomorrow, would you use it?

A few days ago T-Mobile introduced a plan that in it’s infancy is somewhat interesting. With the purchase of a $50 router, T-Mobile wireless subscribers in Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth can make landline calls for $10 a month.

The “Talk Forever Home Phone” will offer local and long distance over broadband internet connections like Vonage and its VOIP. Users will have to have a wireless plan of at least $39 monthly.

T-Mobiles “HotSpot AtHome” has been a big success according to T-Mobile, which is sort of like Hershey saying “our chocolate is good”. But given the opportunity I think most would like the chance to make calls over their WiFi for $10 a month.

These plans beat out Verizon and AT&T’s landline offering on price alone and seem to be the next logical direction of all the major cellular players.

Might we be seeing the re-emergence of the landline? These plans slowly making there way into the business model may suggest it.

Will that bring back the landline phone? This is what I want to see. A fight between manufactures for the best landline. Landlines that surf the web, keep calendars, notes, play games, provide visual voicemail all those things our wireless phones do. Or maybe a way to switch once you are within range of your home router.

This is the potentially exciting aspect of the landline plans being offered by the wireless carriers.

In case you haven’t heard, the Sharper Image has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Their court battles over the Iconic Breeze air purifiers, 3 years of declining shares and people not wanting to buy their goods has finally forced their hand.

This makes my feet sad.

What will I do when the battery on my laptop goes dead and I’ve finished reading the crap I brought with me on a long flight? Are you telling me I can no longer long for a his and her foot massager or warm foot bath?

Will I never again be able to sit and ponder if I really need a globe that projects the time on the ceiling? Will I never again ponder the thought “what will they think of next?” as I marvel at all the ingenious ways one can carry a flashlight around or vacuum the top of ones curtains that were always out of reach until the amazing reacher upper? Which also looks great for the hard to reach spider webs.

Hours have passed by like minutes from pondering the savings on a duty free purchase of a combination Martini Mixer Backgammon set. What, what will the bored wayward traveler do?

OH, oh wait! It just hit me. The Sharper Image just might disappear from Malls all across the land. This means no more marveling at VW Beetles that also plays CD’s. No more sitting in a massage chair after some sweaty team jersey wearing husband has just lived out his fantasy…in the freakin mall.

And what just may be worst of all is the most important. No more last minute Christmas shopping. Sharper Image is always good for an Alarm clock that’s cheap but looks like it came from the set of Minority Report. Now where will we get a pocket Alarm Clock that is also a flashlight for when I need to wake up in a dark alley? Will we all be relegated to the dare I say it,…. The Discovery Store?

Shoppers oh how you disappoint. If only you had filled each room of your homes with purifying Iconic Breezes or cheese cutting utilities with the all too important electric gyrating grater. Maybe if you purchased just one more pillow that plays music when you lay your head on it, all of this would have been adverted. Shame, shame on you under indulgent non-impulsive purchasers of pedantically peddled partially progressive paraphernalia for later storage in a duct taped box in your garage.

You have all broken the basic tenement of the American way, buy more crap. Now look, the sharpest of all images has grown fuzzy and is in real danger of fading away. And we travelers who dream of duty free boxes to stick our feet in and sooth away the daily strife will pay the price.

Shame on you, shame, shame, shame.

I’m not including a pic with this point simply because I would like to make a point. Mass shootings are becoming far too commonplace in American society as of late. It seems as though it’s becoming once a month. But what’s almost equally alarming is the way the television media covers the sad stories. Last night and so far today, every 24 hour news channel, and the rest, are devoting hours to “who the shooter is”.

This is why these idiots do this. Lost and ghosts in a crowd, these individuals want to be famous in death, and the media obliges them every time. This time is no exception. 6 kids sitting in a class learning and hoping for the future were snatched from life for no reason at all by a gunman seeking fame in an otherwise silent life.

Personally I don’t give a damn about the shooter. I don’t care what he looks like, what he wrote before he did the heinous act, or how his loved ones are taking it (not that they are responsible).

Pictures of him and questions about him in my opinion are an insult to the dead and to the families of the victims, who are now themselves, victims. Much like MSNBC’s “Doc-Block” where they show you prisons and prisoners and what they go through and blah, blah, blah, the victims must live with the pain and memories while the perpetrators get prime-time airtime.

If this is at all bothering you the way it is bothering me, write CNN, MSNBC and FoxNews. Tell them you do not want to know about the shooter. You do not want to hear from his or any other family member from past or present shooters. If they have anything to say they can do it in private with the victims of the crime.

The media in this area is a part of the problem, giving the shooters exactly what they want. What’s worse is they know they are doing it. Write them and tell them to stop. Ratings mean everything to news channels (which is a travesty within itself) so if they fear us tuning out, they will begin to do the right thing.

So it looks like Palm is trying to take advantage of the recent Blackberry outage by changing it’s home page to state “UpTime“. That is to say Treo’s and Centro’s don’t have down time.

Does this make The Palm Treo/Centro a better buy? Well let’s take a look at down time. Last year there were three Blackberry outages that put BB users into a tailspin. Already this year there has been a major BB outage sending BB users into a tailspin.

But as we speak Palm is writing checks to those who bought Treo 600′s and 650′s for a host of problems. I expect another round over the 700p sometime soon. Palm’s aged PalmOS causes a good deal of resets and usability issues while using.

Now let’s factor in carriers. AT&T users have experienced a good deal of outages this month and last year. Periodic outages and downtime occur on every major carrier, so I think it’s hard to claim that any brand does not suffer “downtime” issues out of control of the brand manufacture.

When you factor in a recent study that places Palm dead last in customer satisfaction, and RIM second behind the iPhone, the edge begins to go in Blackberry’s favor.

But, let’s address the “Uptime” question and why it matters. As a Blackberry user, and a Palm power user, the Internet and email is very important. On the four Major US carriers, to use a blackberry you must purchase a Blackberry plan, these plans range between $30 and $50 a month depending on the carrier. This is the only way you’re going to get those emails and get on the web without paying a HEFTY per MB fee. For the most part, Blackberry BES/BIS has been a dependable reliable way to receive your corporate emails. That is until one of these outages occur.

But, as a Palm user, you can receive those same emails and surf the exact same web from on the lowest end (Sprint) $15 to the highest end (Verizon) $40 and carriers in-between. MicrosoftExchange Server, and services supplied by carriers like “WirelessSync” (Verizon) provide Palm users (along with other third party developers) instant access to email and web at no extra cost. This is where the edge begins to tip in Palm’s favor.

Of course this is all negated by personal preferences, needs and in some cases employment. But I find it interesting that Pal has decided to go after RIM on this issue. It’s not a bad attack campaign from the floundering Treo maker. Of course we’ll see what the public thinks when sales figures come out from each camp. But there are up and down sides to both devices, and in truth, the iPhone is better than both of them.

Inquiring minds want to know. And the questions are only going to get louder. Where in the world is Windows Mobile 6.1?

Here we are on day two of the WDC in Barcelona and not one peep, iota, sliver of news from Microsoft on the (needlessly) ultra-secret, NDA bound, rumored and leaked upgrade to Windows Mobile.

Yesterday, we got announcements about new partnerships and corporate acquisitions. All well fine and good. Early returns are the Experia X1 is looking really good. And while I’m still not understanding the whole purchase of Danger (for $500 million no less), it makes a little more sense than trying to buy Yahoo.

But what I am not understanding is why hasn’t there been a single word about the next Windows Mobile when you have everybody who is anybody in the Mobile phone market in the same place?

Microsoft flew big shots out to a private unveiling back in November (yes, NOVEMBER!) of Windows Mobile 6.1 and then slapped everyone with a Non Disclosure Agreement. No biggie (or so we all thought), any day now Microsoft would pull back the veil (something called the iPhone, I think) and viola!

That didn’t happen.

Surely, then, at CES at the beginning of January with it being Bill Gates last scheduled appearance.

Uhm, nope. (Although I did enjoy that video of Bill Gates last days at Microsoft).

Absolutely then at WDC, Microsoft can’t be that stupid. Don’t they realize they are sliding further down a slippery slope? Okay, Palm is pretty much a non-issue at this point (are they even there?), but Apple, RIM, and King of the World Nokia are about to relegate them to the ultimate niche market: the business sector (the same misguided idea Palm clung until it’s now too late) .

Even Papa Ed at Brighthand is starting to question what’s going on with Windows Mobile.

What needed to have happened at WDC was an announcement: Windows Mobile 6.1. Available now. To everyone. Free. Drop the mic and walk off the stage.

Joe Wilcox raises an interesting point at Microsoft Watch , the big software growth is going to be in the mobile phone sector. The projections are through the roof. A cell phone for every person on the planet. More people own (and will own) cell phones than will ever own PCs. That should be Microsoft’s new growth market, and they’ve already got a foot in the door with Windows Mobile.

Sustainable corporate growth is not going to come from advertising (and what brand of corporate Kool-Aid decided a company that makes software should even be in the ad business?). What should you care, Microsoft, what people use to search as long as they are doing it on a Windows powered PC or mobile device?  Google’s search dominance (or ad revenue) is not your enemy.

Apple understands that. That’s why they stick to iPods, iPhones and Macs. They have a browser that can search but they are far more concerned that you do whatever you do on an Apple product than anything else. And they work really hard to make their platform the platform of choice to do all of that.

It’s a new day and if you don’t realize it Microsoft, you and Palm will be sitting together wondering what happened as you’re closing down shop.

I don’t expect Windows Mobile 6.1 to silence the critics. Heck, our esteemed editor here at Morning Paper will be chomping at the bit to chime in on this. But from what I’ve seen, WinMo 6.1 is (at least) a few steps in the right direction.

And we need(ed)  to see it yesterday.

By now you should all be aware of the Democratic parties version of “fixing an election”, it’s called Super Delegates. This is where people like ex- President Bill Clinton gets to vote for Hilary with a whopping number of single delegates. Where back room deals, long time friendship and debts owed get called into favor by the candidate that holds the most entrenched political power. See, you thought your vote counted in the Democratic party didn’t you? Those who screamed the loudest (and rightly so) over the 2000 election placement of George Bush, have their very own way of making sure the person they want in, gets in.

Instituted after Jimmy Carter, a man the people wanted but the entrenched on both sides of the aisle wanted no part of, was elected to the highest position in the country. After Jimmy Carter won, they decided they could no longer leave it in the hands of the American people. So if primaries and caucus’s brought a candidate to the DNC convention floor, they nor the majority of DNC official wants running the party, party officials can cast their “SUPER DELEGATES” to the candidate of choice. It’s all highly democratic.

In a rare moment of actually doing his job, Chris Matthews asked Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, who is supporting Hilary Clinton, “If your State votes overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, will you cast your Super Delegate vote for him?” He answered NO. Meaning personal candidate loyalty trumps the will of the people. And that folks, is how this whole dust up began.

A dust up that prompted Donna Brazile, CNN political commentator, to announce that if it comes down to Super Delegates deciding this process (of which she is one) she will quit the DNC. Donna Brazile is a longtime DNC supporter having worked for many Democratic Presidential hopefuls such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and was appointed Chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute after the 2000 Presidential debacle. For her to make a statement like that on national television is huge.

The now DNC chair Howard Dean has come out in recent days saying that a broken convention would not be good. And a broken convention is exactly what you’ll get if the candidate with the most “pledged” delegates enters the convention and loses because of the back room Super Delegate vote.

Let’s imagine for the sake of scenario that Barack Obama wins 6 out of the next 7 states, netting him a 160 pledged delegate lead over Hilary and a 15 state lead over her when they both enter the convention floor. The big MO and the numbers are behind him so none of those pledged delegates change their vote.

But old Bill Clinton and Hilary Clinton favors get called in, and entrenched loyalist deal their way to an overwhelming Super Delegate vote in Hilary Clinton’s favor and she is announced as the nominee. (This could happen in reverse, but seeing as the Clintons “ARE” the democratic party, it’s easier to use this as a possible scenario). The Democratic party would crumble right then and there. The party already has enough of it’s own angry with them for getting into power and backing down to Bush on each and every issue. Not even entertaining the ideal of impeachment, or fighting to reinstate Habius Corpus.

If this or anything similar happens, bye-bye Democratic party, hello Independent party. A place more and more Americans are wanting to be.

This election is so amazing this way. It has brought a lot of the unknown to the forefront. Who knew that a state like Utah would vote overwhelmingly for a Black man carrying the name Barack Hussien Obama. Who knew that women voters would be at odds with themselves over a woman candidate. Or that gender could be pit against race in an election for the highest seat in the land. And before this juicy primary, who knew that party officials where the ones actually naming democratic nominees. After all, in years before, after Iowa and New Hampshire the candidates are for the most part picked and on their way to the general.

This Super Delegate situation is much like the Electoral College discovery in 2000. Because so many Americans used Civics class as a time to catch a nap in high school, millions of Americans were shocked and dismayed to discover that their vote didn’t make a single difference because they don’t live in a state with an Electoral vote. While the cry was loud then, it’s silent now for change in the system. So once again, come time to vote for the President of the United States, there are folks who will cast their vote for no reason at all. Because if their candidate doesn’t when the Electoral vote, the popular vote won’t mean a hill of beans, no matter how wide the margin. And the prospects are the same with the upcoming DNC. The potential for millions of disenfranchised voters is great. Seeing as how this thing is bound to go to the wire, a good portion of that floor is destined to be disappointed regardless. But immediate aid could be delivered by a unified party behind the actual victor. Not so if the victor is delivered from behind closed doors.

Shame on you DNC. Fix this before you destroy your selves and kill off the last remaining hope for democracy in a hopeful democratic country.

At last, the Writer’s strike is over, so said Former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner.

“It’s over. They made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It’s going on Saturday to the writers in general.” “A deal has been made, and they’ll be back to work very soon,” Eisner said, adding, “I know a deal’s been made. I know it’s over.”

So what’s this mean: people go back to work, no more lame reruns, and a re-airing of the Golden Globes of how it should of really went down!

When word of a German 16GB iPhone hit the internets a few months back, iPhone lovers went crazy. Speculation on the what ifs and will they won’t they has been raging every since.

If you really consider what we’re talking about here, 16GB, you might step back and think, what’s the big deal? but it is a big deal to some. More songs, more videos and more, more. This is particularly true in the case of the iPod Touch with it’s 32GB additional space. But does the hype meet the wallet?

After all this time and knee bending pleading for Apple to release a bigger model, did you go out and get yourself one? Or do you have plans to get the bigger iPhone or iPod Touch in the near future?

And now that Apple came through with this, what will the next rumored incarnation be?

Found this little diddy over at MSNBC.com

An online directory that claims to provide 90 million mobile telephone numbers is raising concerns among cell phone users and privacy advocates about unwanted callers who rack up the minutes on their calling plans and the difficulty of opting out of the list.

Intelius charges $14.95 a pop for the numbers, which it says it collects from public sources, such as property records and other businesses. The owner of a number has no say in the matter.

This little bit of information is pretty scary in and of itself. For $14.95 each search, anyone can find your private cell phone number if it’s been posted or used in public records. Most of us don’t like to give out our cell phone numbers because we all get charged for these calls that are unwanted. It’s one thing to even humor a telemarketer on your land line (assuming you still have one) but not funny when they are eating into your monthly minute allotment.

For the record, when I entered my cell phone number, and without paying the $14.95, Intelius claims they have my name and address – for a fee. The city was wrong so I’m not sure about the veracity of the rest of the information.

UPDATE: Intelius says you can remove your number from its cell phone directory by faxing a removal request, along with proof of ID (like a driver’s license), to 425-974-6194. (I sure hope you first don’t have to pay the $14.95 to see if your number is there, then another $14.95 to make sure they removed it.)

But, dear Reader, it gets better (or worse, depending).

Guess who’s first out of the block of the carriers to stand up for their customer’s privacy? Verizon. Yes, you read right, Verizon. The same folks who, along with AT&T and BellSouth, had no problem surrendering your privacy to the NSA and now want immunity from class action lawsuits stemming from customer privacy violation.

Verizon Wireless, which helped shoot down plans for a wireless directory as a “dumb idea,” said in a statement that it would take whatever step was necessary, including litigation, to “protect its customers’ numbers and privacy.”

“Trolling the Internet, using data mining techniques and simply buying lists to create a directory are actions that clearly violate a consumer’s right to privacy,” the carrier said. “Verizon Wireless has long refused to release our customers’ numbers and we call on legislators and policy makers to ensure that what a consumer wants to be private stays that way.” (my emphasis added)

Can anybody say "hypocrisy?" Where was all of this ethical angst and moral outrage when the NSA was asking for all of that and more with little or no reason?

I’m just sayin’

Read

A few weeks ago I asked the Question “What will a recession do to your gadget lust?” I can tell you what it will or more so, has done to mine. Kept it at just that, lust.

The coming of the MacBook Air has had me thinking of this since it was announced. At $1799 it’s going to be a hard sell right now. Things are tight and getting tighter everywhere you turn. I find it hard to believe that a “luxury” item like the Air is going to have much Stateside success right now, in particular when you factor in the fear of a recession. And I’m not alone:

—”Tech will crumble with the recession,” says Paul Kedrosky, a venture capitalist and blogger. “Many tech companies — like Apple, Google and Amazon — are the most consumer dependent technology companies in the history of technology. Unlike prior recessions, consumer spending is going to heavily damage those companies. That’s why you’re seeing so much nervousness about Google and so much nervousness about Apple. It’s not a good place to be.”—

Of course if you’re in the UK or any other market economy that is currently laughing at the US dollar at the moment, your lust can still turn into a lover affair. But for how long?

Credit happy buy stuff Americans are the driving fuel of big ticket technology. We live five strong in crappy two bedroom apartments, drive overworked 1994 Geo’s but go to Wal-Mart and get 50″ flat screen TV’s. But with the current market direction, that too shall pass. So what then?

If Google, Amazon and Apple, three strong market indicators, announce profit decreases like RIM and Motorola’s recent announcements, what’s to come of companies like Palm who are already seeing age curtail their once lusted after body of work?

From where I sit, with the MacBook Air, AppleTV and the handset happy Android from Google, It’s hard to imagine anything other than disappointing sales reports. These things quickly become less important when a recession hits, or is even being feared of hitting. Being that much of our economy runs on the Tech sector now, the “lusting” after new gadgets, or a piece of software could be completely unrequited, and 2008 could turn into a rough year that will without a doubt trickle down to every aspect of the modern world economy.

Like Tech Blogs.

Read

Take a minute out of this day to reflect on the message from one of America’s great men/human. And a special shout to those places of employment and states that are actually honoring this day as a national holiday.

Hardly a new subject here at MP or just about any where else on the web, but I’m finding it striking what’s taking place on a lot of the Palm sites in the last month or so. More and more stories are beginning to pop up with long time Palm enthusiast breaking down, buying an iPhone and kissing their Palm devices goodbye.

Not limited to but not large number inclusive, I’ve seen the same trend on a few of the Blackberry sites. And where it gets most interesting and not to name names so as to not mess with their “street cred”, there are even Windows Mobile fanboys now acquiescing to the allure of the phone that Steve made.

With the coming SDK rollout, meaning tons of fun and useful apps for the iPhone, the very first attempt at a wireless device from Apple will be extremely hard to beat. As I read a lot of these “testimonials” it’s easy to quickly understand that this is the main reason why there has been a surge of Surrendering to the device. As I have said here before, once you go online with that big beautiful screen and fully operational web capable Safari Browser, it’s hard as hell to go back to a tiny little screen and crappy browser.

Of course it’s main draw back and Achilles heel is AT&T and it’s crap EDGE Network. But that doesn’t seem to sway a lot of folks from taking the plunge, although I think there’s a bit of regret afterwards.

But Palm is losing the most here. Tiny new hardware devices still sporting the PalmOS Garnet are not going to cut it against this emerging powerhouse. Googles Android is going to cause a hurting as well although that has yet to be seen. But with the announcement that seemed as though it was meant to bring Palm fans comfort, “the new and improved Palm OS still on track for 2009″, again 2009, I’m witnessing Palm fans saying, “So”, and moving on.

A few months ago the argument for most Palm fans against the iPhone was it’s lack of third party apps, and Palms bevy of them. I have long argued against that summation because the more you put on a Treo the more unstable it becomes, negating the dearth of user iPhone apps. The apps the Palm developers are creating now are far more powerful than the OS itself. Which means, Palm third party developers have far surpassed Palm development.

Now when you factor in Sprint woes, Palms long time friend and confidant, the mass exodus of 683,000 subscribers means those Treo/Centro exclusive 6 month contracts amount to fewer sales. It’s hard to imagine a quick Sprint turnaround, so depending on deal between the two companies, Palm will have to make a push toward one of the other big three. This too will be a hard sell on carriers who carry much stronger devices that compete with Palm.

As I watch and read this slow but speed increasing train of Palm fans switching tracks, the more I begin to see a sad cover story headed our way. Let’s hope Palm can withstand the move from a coal burning engine to the turbo charged bullet train that is the iPhone.

I caught this over at Gizmodo. The story is about a little interview with Mike Abary, senior vice president of VAIO (Sony) product marketing.

Okay read:

“Mike Abary, thought the engineering to get a laptop that thin was extremely impressive. But Sony had a similiar vision for an ultraportable once, a carbon fiber notebook in 2004 called the X505 (above) that eschewed the optical and was 0.3 inches thick (compared to 0.16 of the Air) at its thinnest segment. It wasn’t that well received, and research later pointed out that “Thinness is not the holy grail”. Making something that thin and sexy cost it too much usability.”

Now, just so you know, as hard as this may be to believe, I’m not standing up for the MacBook Air, nor am I defending Steve Jobs’ honor. But ummm, yeah….Sony! You just created the worlds THINNEST Television!

This was the question that ran around my over active brain yesterday, a week after returning from CES…In Las Vegas….Where a regular coffee will cost you $2.99.

If you live in the Red, White and Blue, you know that there is a tightening of the belt going on out there. The credit crunch, home loans, gas prices and a list of other factors that I won’t go into here, all of these factors are adding up to an economic slowdown.

While these factors are taking place the gadget world is exploding. 2008 is looking to be a great year for technology and new gadgets. But these things cost money, some of them cost a lot of money. The MacWorld Expo is about to kick-off, and there is no doubt that Steve will be introducing some new and exciting products, but I wonder how many of us will be able to afford any of it.

How many of you can afford to go out and grab the brand new Office for Mac at $499, and then fill up your tank, pay your credit card and then the rent? Of course I’m looking at this from my own financial realities, peeping out some of the new gadgets and trying to decide which one is “needed” and which is just a pure gadget buy. To be honest, none of it is “needed”, and I suspect that, that goes for most of us. Gadgets are an addiction. New phones and iPods, OS upgrades and flat screens with the slight bump in dpi and two extra HDMI slots aren’t a need, they’re desires.

But when the left over cash from that last paycheck amounts to less and less, how can you feed that gadget addiction that gets you jones’n so hard?

So I guess the question is. Does 2008 look like a gadget paradise for you, or will you simply tighten up and watch most of this years new gadgets pass you by?

You all know I was just waiting for Papa Ed over at Brighthand.com to chime in on the REDFLY that he got the chance to demo at CES. I figured since he was so enamored with the Foleo, he’d be sure to go for this thing.

Dear reader, my wait has paid off. Well, sort of at least.

Like a lot of other people smoking pixie dust trying to give the device the benefit of the doubt, Ed Hardy breaks from tradition and stings the REDFLY on its lack of multi-media capabilities. Rightly letting the cat out of the bag that this thing doesn’t do multi-media well.

No, duh people. (Unfortunately, Ed hedges his bets for when there is a review unit, I’m forecasting a thumbs up from Ed).

In a move even more bone headed than the Palm Foleo, the creators of the REDFLY Mobile Companion, have made a simple dumb terminal. All the thing does it display what’s on the screen of your Windows Mobile device to the screen of the REDFLY. It doesn’t do anything else and for this, they want you to shell out $500.

I went on record last week saying this thing needs to follow the path of the Foleo and die a quick death. Not because I have anything against the folks that make the REDFLY (seem like decent enough folk), but it’s because it still (just like the Foleo) is a dumb and over priced concept.

Remember when the battle cry was to carry less stuff? Why are we returning now to companies wanting us to carry more stuff? Now, all of a sudden, your phone needs a "companion". You aren’t already happy enough to have shed devices that they now want you to get more of them?

We here at Morning Paper were about to start blogging live from the floor of CES with nothing but a Windows Mobile and Palm OS phone, virtually impossible a year ago.

Things are converging, like it or not. We will soon have very capable devices that are no larger than the phones we have. It is already amazing what can be done with the one device we all carry with us already.

I’m going to leave the REDFLY alone now. The thing is said to debut in March and the market will have ample opportunity to vote with their dollars.

It’s still a dumb idea, though. I’m just sayin’.