My Life is Alive with the Sound of Music August 8, 2008
Posted by gerryc in Personal.1 comment so far
In a world where noise is ever present, there’s nothing like grabbing a pair of headphones and pressing play to listen to your favorite song. Some prefer the popular tunes on the radio, others carry their trusty MP3 player wherever they go, filled with favorite tunes. I fall into the second group, but my musical selection is different than most because I listen to soundtracks. Yes, those instrumental compositions with no lyrics to be found. Why do I choose to fill my ears (and iPhone) with this sort of music? I believe that life needs a soundtrack. Picture this: You find yourself looking out the window on a train ride to work, the blue, cloud-filled sky on the horizon, buildings and trees whizzing by, and your mind wanders while an appropriate mix of cellos and violins play in the background. Or your driving on the highway, zigzagging from lane to lane and the “Back to the Future” theme is blasting on the car speakers (Kids: don’t try this at home!) The moods these songs convey make me feel my life is more interesting than it really is, sort of like having John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra score your actions once you step out the door.
And now, off to lunch. Maybe I’ll listen to something from “World of Warcraft” while I quest for something to eat.
Welcome to the Future… of Gaming July 17, 2008
Posted by gerryc in Games.add a comment
I’ve always been an avid fan of video games. I recall my very first console was an Atari 2600. Let me tell you: once I held that joystick in my hands it was love at first button press. Years later I would head down to the local arcade and feed every game cabinet with as much quarters as my wallet would allow. Then the big two, Nintendo and Sega, pulled me back in front of the TV. Fast forward to the present and the era of high definition gaming, I was a bit reluctant to jump on the gazillion polygon and multiple core bandwagon. Nevertheless, I felt that I was somehow missing out on a library of great games so this past Sunday I took the plunge and bought an Xbox 360. The crisp graphics were amazing and the games were visually very impressive. Not only that, but the robust online community of gamers also is a plus. Originally one would have to get a few friends together in the same room to play. Now, thanks to the Internet, anybody in the world can be your ally or opponent. In summary, I’m very happy with my purchase and hope to enjoy many hours of online high-definition gaming in the years to come!
Updates & App Store & 3G! Oh, My! June 11, 2008
Posted by gerryc in Tech.add a comment
This past Monday Apple kicked off it’s Worldwide Developers Conference with the usual keynote by Steve Jobs. Here the charismatic CEO addresses the Mac faithful on the how the company is doing and also introduces new software or hardware. The focus this time was on the iPhone. The new 2.0 software features were demoed, a new mobile and desktop synchronization service announced, and of course the expected 3G upgrade.
So, what do I think of the announcements? I’m very interested in the 2.0 software update and the App Store. Running local programs on the iPhone will be much better that the current Web app solution. The whole iPhone/Mac sync that’s currently available via .Mac is not implemented very well. The new service, MobileMe, will have your email, contacts and calendars sync over the air, which is very cool indeed! Finally the iPhone 3G. I’m kind of bummed that I couldn’t wait long enough for this version to come out. Nevertheless, I have no regrets in getting my current iPhone because I’ve used it to it’s full capacity during the time I’ve owned it. Will I consider the new handset? Not now, but maybe in the future when they upgrade the storage to 32 GB.
Those who were still on the fence because of price, the time to get an iPhone is now!
Well, not exactly now. July 11, actually. Better start getting in line!
We All Wear Masks May 28, 2008
Posted by gerryc in Personal.1 comment so far
Those who know me can attest to my fascination with Halloween. Not for its witchcraft and pagan underpinnings, but for the whole childlike allure of wearing costumes; pretending you’re someone else for one day.
Life in general is not without these moments, but you don’t need an elaborate mask made of rubber to hide behind. Depending the situation or environment we’re in, we choose to “be” different than who we really are. The norm for some people is to usually “wear” two. In my case, well… I’d need an entire trunk!
I have one for the family, the serious, uptight older son/brother; one for the office, the uberpatient, easygoing tech guy; with my close friends, the loud and goofy jokester; with women, the romantic and kindhearted gentleman; and the list goes on…
So, why not be the same in every situation? It greatly depends on my mood and how comfortable I feel around the people I’m with. Mixing it up hasn’t worked out that well for me.
How can I put this? Like appropriate attire, you simply don’t go in swimming trunks to a wedding.
Yes, I’d Like To Order a Productivity Suite, Hold the Microsoft May 21, 2008
Posted by gerryc in Tech.2 comments
Those who’re in my circle of friends know me well enough to confirm that I’m a Mac Evangelist. Almost everything and anything Apple produces I lust over and try to get others to feel the same way. But, in certain circumstances, you have to look outside the company’s offerings to get things done.
Enter Microsoft Office: the necessary evil of the business world. This suite of apps has a stranglehold on the productivity market. Many companies have adopted the software giant’s cash cow as their defacto tool for documents, spreadsheets and presentations, leaving little space for other competitors to offer any alternatives.
In 2003, Apple tried to make a dent in Office’s impervious force field by releasing Keynote, a presentation software with stunning visuals, sleek transitions and their trademark ease of use. Even though it wasn’t touted as direct competitor to PowerPoint and lacked certain advanced features, at a $99 price point it was pretty obvious the direction where the engineers at Cupertino were headed: to offer an affordable productivity tool for use at home, school or even the workplace.
Let’s skip ahead to today. Apple now offers a suite named iWork, which includes Pages, a simple, yet robust word-processor and visual page-layout program; Numbers, an easy-to-use spreadsheet application with gorgeous graphs; and, of course, Keynote, including even more eye-catching transitions, templates and advanced features. All this for a mere $79. Huh? What’s that? How much for Microsoft Office for Mac? A whopping $400 bucks!
Ok, ok. Before I get the Microsoft-nerd hate mail, I’ll admit I have Office installed on my computer and use it fairly often. This is due to the almost daily exchange of .doc and .xls her at work, but personally I prefer to use iWork for my personal projects. Know what else? I can open those files in either Pages or Numbers and they almost look better! Oh, and I don’t bother PowerPoint. Keynote wins hands down!
So, if your business thrives on anything made in Word, Excel or PowerPoint and you have the money to burn, Microsoft will gladly take your dollars. On the other hand, if you need an affordable and uncomplicated way to be productive on your Mac, give iWork a try.
Trust me. It’s so nice to see my Mac OS X Dock Microsoft-free!
