Friday, February 27, 2009

Traveling with the iPhone 3G.

I just came back from a great week of snowboarding out in Snowbird, Utah. Before I left for the trip, I contemplated whether or not to bring my laptop. Traditionally, I've always taken my Macbook with me. I actually considered buying a netbook just for this trip. Although, it would have been great for surfing and checking email, I decided that on this trip I would bring nothing but my iPhone and my digital camera. I made sure to bring extra SD memory cards with me, as I wouldn't have a computer to download my photos to. It would have been nice, if the iPhone had an adequate camera, I could have done the whole trip with only the iPhone.

I also brought along the PSP, but surprisingly I only used it once and for about a 1/2 hour. It seems the PSP has dropped to the wayside as my iPhone is now my device of choice. My last gadget along for the ride was the Solio Charger. From the get go, the iPhone was a tremendous help. On the flight there, I used the ebook reader, watched an episode of Patrick Swayze's new show "The Beast", listened to music and played a few games. The in-flight entertainment on Delta was lacking and it seems like everything now has a price tag on it now, from $2 headphones to $8 meals. It's great that I didn't have to pay $6 just to watch an inflight movie.

Upon arrival, I used the iPhone's GPS and maps program to guide me to the resort. En route, we saw a billboard advertising Cracker Barrell, which happens to be a favorite of mine. We got off the highway, but some how got lost. Using the App "Man-go", we were able to get back on track and find it easily. While there we took some pictures with the iPhone's crummy, but functional camera. Sent a quick text to my buddies to let them know we were on the way. I loved that the phone changed time zones by itself.

While on the mountain, despite being 8,000 feet above sea level, 3G worked great, and our resort had free wi-fi. Although my buddy's laptop picked up the wi-fi fine, I noticed that the antenna on the iPhone was unable to effectively pick up a usuable signal. I ended up turning off the wi-fi as the 3G speeds were faster. I checked email, with the twitterfon app and facebook app, updated all my friends and family back home with pictures and stories from my trip. On our first night, we used the maps program again to find and get directions to Bohemian the restuarant. After dinner, I hooked up my iphone to the TV with my composite cables and we all watched a movie together. Who needs to rent dvd's?

On the 3rd day, I got a text from a friend that someone we know was mentioned in a newspaper article, so using my iPhone, while sitting in a chair lift, I was able to pull up the article and read it for myself. I used the phone to check weather and ski conditions every day, and keep up to date on all news from NY.

Finally on the last day, we decided to take a tour of Salt Lake City. Again, the only guide we had was google maps. I was amazed at how easy it was to get around the city, and we were never lost or without direction. We were able to check out reviews for a restaurant before eating there, then we used the phone to look up history of points of interest such as the University of Utah, the State Capital, and even to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints. Since we used the phone so much, I was happy to have my Solio Charger to recharge the phone while at the airport. We checked in early, so again I used the phone to check stocks (I'm a glutten for punishment), read news, and check weather back in NYC. Once on the plane I entertained myself with "Don't Mess With the Zohan" I've had this movie on my phone for so long, but kept putting off watching it. I'm sorry I had because it was pretty funny! When that movie was done, I went back to reading my ebook.

Lastly when we finally arrived, I was able to text my brother and let him know that I've arrived a little early and to pick us up. Over all, I never missed not having a laptop with me at all. I didn't have much down time there so, as we were on the move the whole time, perhaps if I had more time to sit and chill, I might have missed my Macbook more. On this trip, the iPhone rose to the challenge and was all I needed!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

9 Foods To Eat For A Killer Immunity

While an all-around diet is the key to stronger immunity, these particular immune system-boosting foods and ingredients can keep you in fighting condition. (Click on "Print this" to view all on a single page)

read more | digg story

Simon and Garfunkel Stage Surprise Reunion in NYC

Paul Simon’s first show at New York’s renovated Beacon Theatre this past Friday night ended with his former partner Art Garfunkel coming onstage to stunned applause by an A-list crowd that included Paul McCartney, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Jon Bon Jovi, Rosie O’Donnell and many others.

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Friday, February 13, 2009

49 Killed as Continental Plane Crashes Into NY Home

County Executive Chris Collins said that there may have been as many as 50 people aboard the plane and crew members had reported mechanical problems as they approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Several injured people were taken from the scene to Erie County Medical Center for treatment.

read more | digg story

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Some Banks Now Want to Return Government Money

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have indicated their companies were hoping to return bailout funds as quickly as possible, on worries government may intrude further in their business. (Subtext...living on 500K salaries, no more 1st class hotels, junkets...gee, maybe they can make it on their own after all struggle on their own.)

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Sunday, February 08, 2009

Bangkok will be submerged by 2030

“Right now, nothing is being done,” says Meteorologist Smith Dharmasaroja, head of Thailand’s National Disaster Warning Center. “And if nothing is ever done? Bangkok will be flooded.” By 2030, Bangkok will lie under 1.5 meters (5 feet) of seawater, Smith says. He is calling for a massive dike spanning the Gulf of Thailand, a $2.8 billion project.

read more | digg story

Monday, February 02, 2009

Think Before You Click: The Top Five Internet Scams

Internet scams are by no means a recent phenomenon, but certain scams come back again and again. Here are five popular Internet scams that you should be on the lookout for.

read more | digg story

Sunday, February 01, 2009

80's Cartoons for the grown up!

The Superbowl was actually pretty awesome. There were some amazing plays, and a few commercials were actually memorable. Watching some of these commercials makes me realize that there's a lot of talk of the X generation, the Y generation, the "text" generation and all. I'm not sure what they each mean, but I'm pretty happy to be in my generation. I was the born in the 70's, and raised in the 80's generation. I grew to He-man, Transformers, G.I.Joe and a host of other really great cartoons. It's absolutely great that so many of these are now becoming excellent movies! That means that this had as much of an impact to me as it did to lots of other people are around my age group. So we may not have been the age to grow up to Facebook, or myspace, or even SMS and Skype, but we are the age that grew up to AIM, Apple computers when they were known as Apple IIe's, and video games where you have to go to an arcade. We may not be cutting edge, but it's great to see cutting edge technology applied to our fantasies! See the following videos for G.I. Joe and Transformers 2. Explore your childhood fantasies!



Pepsi Ad

Since we're on the topic of Superbowl commercials, here is another one. This one is from Pepsi, and the reason I singled this one out is because Gina Carrano is in it. If you follow MMA at all, or even the new American Gladiators, Gina Carrano should be a familiar name! Here she is, being portrayed as this generations Bruce Lee. While I think she's great, I'm not sure she's got quite the same cultural impact, but what can I say, she's really hot!