Steve, we thank you.

The man truly changed the world.  Thank you Steve. 

Apple: Offend No One! Part 2

Yesterday I wrote a piece regarding the iPhone 4 and why Apple did what they did.  It touched briefly on the disappointment many are feeling from the fact that Apple didn't release an iPhone 5.  I have since found a number of good articles that I would like to point to.  

Marco Arment states, "Would as many people be disappointed if Apple had released the same device but called it the iPhone 5?"  Interesting point.  You should read his whole post HERE. 

Daniel Indiviglio also stated, "As far as I can tell, most of the dismay at the release of the iPhone 4s stems from pure semantics. People are mad that an iPhone 5 wasn't released -- but they can provide few examples of what they expected from an iPhone 5, that the iPhone 4s is lacking, other than its having a different name."  He expounds a little more than Marco does and his post can be found HERE. 

I agree with Daniel in the fact that of course we would love 4G and many of us would also really like a 3.7" or 4" screen.  Those would be great features but we can't "throw the baby out with the bath water." Should this iPhone have been released in June? I think so. Nevertheless, No phone is perfect but this is going to be a fantastic phone that translates to real day to day benefits.  Besides, if Apple had released a 4G 4" iPhone 5 yesterday, what would they release next year that would woo the masses?  People's "disappointment" would have simply been postponed a year.

Apple: Offend No One!

I am in the middle of an interesting conversation with my great friend and tech buddy Zach Holmquist.  What else would we be discussing today other than the iPhone 4S.  So I'm getting the vibe that most people were "expecting more."  What would I define that more as meaning?  Different external design.  First we should understand why so many people had such an expectation?  The answer is that Apple, rather than releasing the iPhone 4S in June, released it in October and thus a delay of roughly 3 months lead many to believe "big things" were in store.  So the big question is why did Apple not change the design and was it the right decision?

Customer happiness is all based on perception.  To try and best explain this, I'm going to do a list of bullet point scenarios.

• I bought the iPhone 4 on launch day in June of 2010.  How do I feel about the launch of the new iPhone 4S?  Great!  Why?  If I choose to upgrade, it will give me some great new features.  If I choose to stay with my iPhone 4, I also feel great because it isn't "that different."
• I bought the iPhone 4 on Verizon when it launched earlier this year.  Would I have been upset if a completely redesigned iPhone had launched today, a mere 3, 5, or 7 from my date of purchase? You bet! I would have an OLD, USELESS, OUTDATED iPhone 4.  How do I feel now that i know the iPhone 4S looks the same and "isn't that different"?  Great!
• I don't want to spend $200 on a phone because, ya know, technology really isn't that important to me.  But my RAZR flip phone just broke and I need a new phone.  Oh, I can get an iPhone 4 for only $99? How do I feel?  Great!  "I feel even better since I know it looks JUST LIKE that brand new expensive iPhone 4S that my son in law just bought."(Zach Holmquist)
• I want an iPhone but why would I spend so much on an iPhone when there are Droids for less money?  Wait, there is an iPhone 4 for only $99 that looks JUST LIKE the iPhone 4S?  Oh, I want that! It's probably pretty much the same for only half the price!

Hopefully this 4 bullet points have helped point out the amazing genius that Apple is.  You are always going to make some people upset.  Yes, there were those in the camp pining for a thinner, bigger screened iPhone 5.  But they have managed to release a fantastic updated product that will sell millions and all the while keeping everyone happy.  They have also managed, as Zach put it, leveled the playing field for a BIG release next year. Well done Apple, you un-offending company you. 

Note: If you still really want a thinner iPhone, come into the store sometime and hold the iPod touch up to your ear for at least 5 minutes.  I'm guessing it will start to feel uncomfortable after about 1 minute.  Too thin, the edges feel sharp.  Also, you thought a lot of people dropped the iPhone 4?  Give them something thinner and then we'll see a serious increase in dropped and damaged iPhones.  

short skates

i can feel a cough
a deep stunted struggling
inside my chest, filling up my throat
like an animal, caged and dangerous
ready to ignite this fuse, explode

like a sail boat with no sails
no wind to push me
no ruder left to steer me
no stars to guide me
no one to hear me
no life vest to save me

a face on a light post
enabling the entertainers
startling the suspects
angering the innocent
propagating paranoia
rioting the rebellious
all to solve a problem

let me hold your hand
grasp just tight enough
to ensure i'm here
to run away forever
through sunflower fields
and shady groves
to reach that new beginning
where the grass has no fear

Chapter 5

The van sped down highway 4. Annie tried to open her eyes but they felt heavy, as if her eyelids had become small weights. She could hear rapid talking from the front of the van and a somewhat inconsistent breathing from someone near her in the back. Her head was spinning and she felt sick; mostly from the throbbing she felt at the base of her skull. The van continued bouncing along and each bump seemed to jolt her in the most uncomfortable way. She tried to make out what the men were saying but she couldn't maintain consciousness and passed out again. Annie woke with a thud that sent a pain through her back. She had been pulled by her feet out of the van and landed squarely on her back on a hard floor. She opened her eyes and was nearly blinded by the intense light from above her.

"Don't hurt her you imbecile."

"Sorry Sir."

"Annie? Annie can you hear me? Wake up dear."

She opened her eyes just enough to see a face about 3 inches from her own.

She struggled for words. "Who are you?"

It became apparent to the man standing above her that she was struggling to open her eyes.

"Turn off those bloody lights already, he barked."

The lights were dimmed almost immediately and Annie was able to blink a few times and finally fully open her eyes. Her eyes took a moment to focus and once they did she saw a man standing above her, apparently the one in charge and barking the commands. She recognized him. He had a somewhat round face with dark eyebrows and hair. She knew she had seem him somewhere but couldn't remember where. She started going through every dark corner of her brain in hopes that the memory would put a name with the face she was now seeing. However, her mental exercise was interrupted.

"Annie, you know why you are here right? Your husband, Jack, has something very important to us. The technology he invented belongs to us but he doesn't seem to believe that. You see, he is trying to maintain involvement for the next 18 months and that simply can't be allowed. He is also holding back a key portion of the code that we need. We really didn't want to have to do it this way but this is a sticky situation and my hands are tied. Things are turning desperate. And you know what they say about desperate times right?

He laughed to himself. A very obnoxious loud laugh.

"So thanks for coming with us Annie. Don't worry one bit....we feel confident that Jack will do the right thing. Smile!"

The man pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of her. When he moved the phone away she got another look at him and she nearly lost her breath. She recognized him as one who had sat at the same table as her and David at a special dinner they had attended in DC. She didn't want to believe it but she was pretty confident that there, standing over her, was the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense.

The Contract - Chapter 4

If you haven't read chapters 1-3 yet, please start HERE.

Chapter 4

As David approached the house, he noticed that the garage door was open. So was the front door. This became even more alarming when David realized that he couldn't see a single light on inside the house. He quickly jogged up the steps to the front door. His eyes had pretty well adjusted to the darkness from the walk. He saw that the coffee table was overturned and the lamp was broken to pieces all over the carpet. David's heart began beating quickly as he stepped toward the light switch. Nothing. He swore again. This time it was barely audible due to the fear that was gripping around his mind like a vice grip. He ran into the kitchen and noticed the stove was still on high and a pot of stew was boiling over onto the range top and down the front of the oven. He quickly turned the burner off, somehow managing to not burn his hand in the process. Then he saw something that made his stomach churn. He couldn't contain it and barely turned in time to throw up all over the kitchen sink. There on the counter, barely visible through the moonlight coming through the sliding back doors, were strewn the internal remains of some sort of animal. David was able to regain composure, retrieve a flashlight from the pantry, and return to the disturbing site. He saw a piece of paper sticking out from the mess. He gingerly reached for it and turned the paper over. Then he read the words that for 17 years he had feared would one day resurface. "Hi Jack, we found you."

Okay readers, I need your help. I want you to suggest in the comments what you think should come next. Who is Jack and what is going on here?

Month of Concerts

This month has been the month of concerts.

And boy has it been great.

The month started out with Mr. Mat Kearney himself.

I have blogged about Mat Kearney before. Click HERE to enjoy that post.

This was the second time I have seen Mat in concert at In the Venue.

Tragically, he didn't headline this show. Those honors went to Owl City.

Mat killed it. I cried when he played his last song of the night.

He will be back(hopefully) on his Young Love tour later this year or early next year.

I will be there.

Note: Associates in crime: Mr. Ben Barlow, Sarah Fennemore, Sam and Chelsea Lake.

Concert number 2 of the month was The Decemberists who performed at Pioneer Park

as one of the Twilight Series Concerts.

There were 36,000 people there. So not many.

Lots of pot being smoked.

But the music was awesome. And the price was great. FREE!

Partner in Crime: The beautiful Ms. Hattie Nicole Gardner.

Concert Number 3.

KATY PERRY!

I knew that this concert was going to be great. I hoped for amazing.

It was epic.

Blew past every expectation I had and more.

Became the definition of entertainment.

The lights, the music, the dancing, the dresses, the decor.

Unreal.

Katy is sexy and she killed it.

Partner in Crime: Mr. Benjamin Barlow. Or @argentino15

Month of Conerts: A Raging Success!

Benjamin

This is Benjamin Spencer Lake.

He is the closet thing to Spiderman a 5 year old can come.

Watch out.

Need to be Needed

My eyes were still stinging. I cupped my hands over my face and breathed in deeply. When exhaling, I tried to push the air between the slits in my fingers. I could probably fall asleep like this, my elbows on the table. I could fall asleep in most any position actually. Noise? Light? Not a problem. I slouched down again in my chair, letting my head hang uncomfortably over the back of the chair. This put a strain on my neck that let me know I was still feeling something. I had sunk into a boredom so deep that even the things I wanted to do were now sleep inducing. This whole sleep thing, it wasn't because of insomnia or even going to bed at extremely late hours. I think it was a result of not being pushed. I had started to feel worthless, not needed, unmotivated. This wasn't my fault. Not entirely. Sure, I could rummage through some tutorial somewhere on some computer related topic but once again, this would be just another sleep inducing activity. Maybe we should just refer to these as SIA's in the future. I like that. But what do you think, should we leave the apostrophe?

I wasn't desiring something to do on a scale between good and better. I was aspiring to do something that would make me feel needed. You know, that necessary human emotion we all long for. Just like love or success or happiness, it feels good to be needed. Like the time when you see a group of men carrying something heavy from a moving truck into a home, like an upright piano, and you are able to lend a hand to prevent the piano from falling. Even if they don't utter the phrase, "good thing you were there" you will still feel a sense of accomplishment. You feel glad that you were needed.

I had at times been needed but I wanted to play a bigger role; Get my hands involved in more assignments. More participation surely will lead to more knowledge and more knowledge will prompt promotion. No one wants to stay the bottom rung on a ladder. It should be noted however that pushing to be needed can be a risky thing. Realistically you shouldn't have to try and be needed. You just are. The egg whites aren't begging to be added to that birthday cake, they just are. They provide that yummy light texture we all desire and so naturally an experienced baker would be crazy to omit them from the ingredient list.

This brings me to a point of questioning: What areas do I shine in that would make it easy to be needed? This is not something I'm great at. You know, the whole idea of pinning down my strengths. That's one reason I don't love interviews. That ever so common question, "So tell me your strengths." Of course I can't blame an employer for asking it but it makes me flirt with the line between bragging and digging. Digging to find something I can highlight. This small piece written here was an exercise. An exercise to both keep me awake and to test my brain to see if it was still functioning, cable or writing a sort of oratory. Almost a dialogue with oneself. I don't know, you tell me, was it successful?

Pessimistic Unbelieving

At some point you gotta realize that the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist

That there is no white unicorn

Never going to be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

Stop searching for the Easter Bunny in the trees

Don't worry about cleaning the chimney, no Santa

Dido for those leprechauns in nasty green suspenders

Will never stumble upon a Sasquatch or Loch-Ness Monster

Those flying saucers called UFOs are bogus hokey-pokey

And nearly naked arrow shooting Cupids are a figment of fantasy

Dreams are dreams and only live for so long in this realm of reality

So elusive that they too must be put down; an often painful death