And the moral of the story is...

Ok. So there was this bird. It was time to fly south for winter. But he didn't want to. It was time for a change. So he decided to stay behind for once and see what it was like; what everyone was running from.

A few weeks went by and it started to get cold, really cold. That knot in your stomach that tells you you've messed up started saying that he better get on his way before it's too late - so he took off flying south.

He was going as fast as he could, but none-the-less he was caught in a snowstorm. Unable to see he crashed into cow pasture, and broke a wing. He lay there thinking how his life was now going to be over because of such a dumb decision.

Out of nowhere a cow stepped over and laid a fresh patty right over top of him.

At first the odor was unpleasant, but then the bird realized that the patty was warm - and would hard soon - possibly giving him time to survive the storm.

Shortly after, the barn-yard cat pulled him from the patty and ate him.

And so the moral of the story is:

Not every one who craps on you is your enemy.

And not everyone who pulls you out of it is your friend.

=)

The iPad Still Blows

Carriers vs. Carriers vs. iPhone vs. Android vs. Windows Mobile vs. huh?

With Apple's long awaited release of their newest invention, the iPad - I've been out of luck in the department of stupid rumors on the internet. I feel like a more appropriate name for the device would be, iPieceOfOversizediPodCRAP - but apparently Job's didn't read my last blog on the subject. Anyways - that's not the point of this one.

So without the iPad to read about, I've shifted my focus to the iPhone. I've had one since 2007 when they released the first iPhone. There was a hardware upgrade with the iPhone 3G in the form of a slimmer body, and plastic case instead of the aluminum case they started out with. I assume this was to solve some of the heat issues affecting the battery life of the first model - but no one really knows why. I assume plastic is a bit cheaper - and they were getting slammed pretty hard about having a $800 phone on the market.

Now that's all changed, but what has changed? The rest of the market. Google's Android OS and Windows new Mobile OS have really brought some awesome devices out of the wood work. At first we had devices like the Blackberry Storm to compete with the iPhones success, but now - WOW - I can't even name them all.

Problem I have with the iPhone come down to the same problems that other techie's have with it: no removable battery, no removable memory, crappy camera, no 3rd party browsers, no tethering, etc. The other HUGE issue is that of AT&T's sucking so horribly as a carrier. I NEVER had as many dropped calls until they took over Cingular - but again - that's another topic.

What I wanted to get to - is that the market has really twisted in such a fashion that I'm having a hard time being an Apple fanatic anymore. Why? The Google Nexus One by HTC and the Motorola Droid are the two phones' I'll put up against the iPhone. They both are faster than the iPhone 3GS, they both are more customizable, have a better camera, have better functionality, and better 3rd party application support (and by support I mean the developers don't have Apple breathing down their necks telling them what they can and cannot create). This is a much more open source device with the potential to truly surpass the iPhone. But, it's not really doing it. Why? Media Experience.

Apples iTunes store, App store, and now the iBook store - all being featured on one device. That's what makes the iPad so "revolutionary". It's not "revolutionary" in it's conception but in the fact that it's like a pick-pocket in your wallet placed there for the price of about a months rent. Huh? I got off topic again. It's all about controlling the market. Apple just has to put out stable devices to access their media market to beat the competition, because while everyone else was out creating devices that would surpass the iPhone - they didn't put the effort into creating a music store that would match or surpass iTunes, a App store that would match or surpass the Apple App Store, or an iBook App that will do what the new iBook app will do.

Amazon.com isn't going to cut it for this Android devices. We need something easy, with a sexy interface that's MADE to be accessed with our phones! Not some window into a store that was made to be accessed by normal PC's. Hell, just a new interface and name it something different. That's all Apple did!

So, my contract with AT&T expires this April - and I'll be eligible for a new phone - but I won't be buying one for a minute. Apple truly has their work cut out for them if they don't want their smartphone to be killed. I TRULY HOPE they don't plan on iPad taking them into the next wave of revolution - because it can't. The consumers can't be that stupid to fall for a big iPod with tricked out iPhone software.

Step it up Apple. Give us a camera that's worth a crap. Give us removable memory of some sort. Give us SOMETHING TO WORK WITH! Why does RIM stay in business selling Blackberries? Because NOBODY does email like them. DO EMAIL LIKE THEM. You can, so why not?

Blah.

School. Again. And again.

I can't stand the absence of learning. For a while, I had such a infatuation with music. I still do I suppose...but no matter how much I'd like to make the earth stand still, and maybe even rotate backwards...I cannot. Thus we press forward. I just finished my application for Penn State Online. I'm going back to obtain my bachelors of science in psychology. Then hopefully an MBA. We'll see. Many roads lie ahead. At first I thought I had a whole lot to say on this, but now that I'm writing I'm finding out that mostly I'm just excited about hopefully going back to school. I miss it. I know that doing an all online study won't be as interesting as attending classes like the old days, but with my having and a family and all - it's really the only option for me right now. Time will surely tell.