Pure speculation

The iPhone is really the gPhone (Google Phone).

Google is getting ready to buy up a bunch of 700 mhz spectrum. Apple has released the iPhone with a carrier to work out the bugs and get ready for the time (about five years down the road) after Google has built and its free wireless network (ad-supported, natch). By then Apple has millions of iPhone users and makes all subsequent iPhones like the iPod: no carrier and no contract, to use on Google's free network.

What do you think?

Hogwarts in the future

**SPOILER**
DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED BOOK SEVEN!

I'm watching clips of an interview JK Rowling gave where someone asked her who, 19 years down the road, the headmaster of Hogwarts is. She said it wouldn't be McGonagal because she's getting on in age so it would have to be someone new.

Personally, I think George Weasley would make a perfect headmaster. Just think about it. Jo, you've got my number. Call me.

While I was out

Sorry I didn't post much this last week. I took some vacation time (use it or lose it) and have also been working on starting a new blog (more details later).

In the meantime, I refer you to The Quote Board, particularly some recent additions courtesy of Melinda.

Enjoy.

I must be getting old, part 2

In addition to not understanding the fascination with social networks such as MySpace, I also realize I'm old because I remember getting letters in the mail.

"Who doesn't remember getting letters?" most of the people reading this are probably thinking.

I've been using e-mail as my primary form of communication for about a decade. The MySpace crowd was in diapers then.

Think about it. Most of the 12-15 year-olds who are using MySpace have probably never run out to the mailbox, hopes high for a letter from a friend, relative or pen-pal. Heaven knows our kids won't.

That makes me a bit sad.

Correspondence used to be more meaningful, but less frequent. Nowadays, good or bad, communication is made in short, nearly constant bursts: e-mail, text messaging, Twitter, etc. I daresay that while communication/correspondence has become more convenient, it has also become less significant.

There you have it. More proof that I'm getting old, or at least a bit nostalgic. It's strange to think about the future and what it will hold for our children. One thing is for certain, an era has ended and a new one has begun.

Harry Potter, book 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah

We're about to head out to our local Barnes & Noble to pick up our reserved copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about whether or not Harry lives or dies. I want to know if Snape is good or bad.

I'm sure I'll be up all night reading simultaneously with my wife, just like we did for book six in New York.

We have wrist bands are somewhere in the 150 range. We're not thinking it will take too long since in New York we were number 700-something and, once the line got moving, it only took about 15 minutes to get to the registers.

Wish us luck!

Courtesy of Bob Barker

I walked off the train into the stifling heat. As I walked across the hot asphalt toward my car I noticed something on the far side of the parking lot. It was a traveling neuter/spay clinic:

I forgot all about the heat as I thought to myself, "That thing is full of dog balls." As I walked closer I noticed the logo, which absolutely cracked me up and made my day:

Glad to see that not only are the dog and cat getting along, but it looks like they're healing up well too.

P.S. Check out the license plate.

I must be getting old, part 1

According to this CNET article, up-and-coming teen web entrepreneurs are essentially saying e-mail is only used by "corporations and old people". Social networking sites are the wave of the future as far as online communications go.

I must be getting old.

I get the whole social networking thing with meeting friends through other friends online. Great. No problem. The part I've never understood was the public messaging on MySpace and Facebook. I don't see the benefit. Why NOT e-mail?

I absolutely refuse to get a MySpace page for a number of reasons, first and foremost being that they're uglier than sin. As far as other social networking sites, I guess I'm just not that interested in meeting random friends of friends on the Internet. I'm married, have a kid, and already feel like I don't have enough time to do everything I want to do. Why would I spend time on sites like that hoping to meet new people?

Time to soak my dentures and apply a fresh coat of Just For Men - I think I see a gray hair.

National Ice Cream Day

Now that you know, do what you gotta do.

The English Channel

Ever wonder if it bugs the French that it's called the English Channel instead of the French Channel? Probably ticks 'em off. Hehehe...fetchers.

11 year-old girl from Alabama charged with DUI

More news from our friends in Alabama! But instead of underage kids wielding .50 caliber weapons and slaying giant beasts pets, an 11 year-old girl lead police on a high-speed chase for eight miles and topping out at over 100 mph.

Sound like soul mates to me.

Feedburnin' baby!

I subscribed to Feedburner, so if you've subscribed to the blog via RSS in the past, please take a second or two to resubscribe with the new feed URL.

Much love,

Dave

Stop driving so @#$% much!

One person can make a difference. Cut down on driving! Walk, take public transportation, carpool, combine trips. Your dependence on foreign oil is nobody's fault but your own. (Obviously, the same goes for me.) And as the graph at the bottom illustrates, gas prices can still go way, way up.

We'll either have to start driving less by force or by choice. Make it the latter. Personally, I find a lot of satisfaction in taking TRAX to work, carpooling and walking when I can. Matt and Andrea ride their bikes to work. I'm certainly not perfect at this (especially this week with a sick newborn). But if you haven't tried any of those alternate methods of transportation I highly encourage you to do so.

via The Economist

Bourne Ultimatum trailer

OK. I took down the embedded trailer because it started playing automatically every time this page loaded. Really annoying.

You can jump to see the trailer by clicking here.

iPhone generosity

Stevie J. announces that all Apple employees will get a free 8 gig iPhone. How very kind of him.

Let's look at a possible ulterior motive.

As has recently been discussed in the press, the iPhone costs about $220 to make. Apple, as part of their deal with AT&T, is getting kick-backs for every iPhone sold.

When I worked for an indirect cell phone store (ala Alert Cellular, Mountain State Cellular, Mobile Solution, etc.), we got between $250-300 for getting someone to sign up for a two-year contract with a data plan and text messaging.

At the moment, Apple has about 20,000 employees. You do the math.

Attention Utah drivers:

Turn signals are to be used before you start turning. They indicate you want to make a turn. Activating your turn signal while turning negates the need for a signal suggesting that you want to turn, because you already are.

Green misconceptions

Just to be clear, you don't have to dress (or act) like this



nor live like this



to be environmentally savvy/green.

You don't have to be nut job. Just make a conscious effort to continually do a little better: turn off lights when you leave a room. Walk to that friend's house instead of drive. Recycle your office paper and pop cans instead of throwing them away.

A few small steps in the right direction can make a lot of difference. So don't be afraid to take upon you the title of "green".

Remember Bob, and just take baby steps.