Social Media and The Annual Christmas Letter

Someone’s Christmas letter from the interwebs.

For the most part I enjoy using Facebook. For the most part I enjoy receiving annual Christmas letters. You might think the two are unrelated but I think there is correlation.

Let me try to explain what I mean. Every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas we usually receive a plethora of Christmas cards. They range from the “Season’s Greetings” cards that the banker and local dog catcher send out to the multi-page tome that shares the fine details of what has happened over the past twelve months. Typically it is typed up on a computer and spiced up with a few pictures so that the recipient can see how that P90x or Insanity workout has turned you into a finely toned piece of humanity.

Some people might not like those letters. Maybe some people think they seem self-serving. After all, very few people are going to include bad news like: “I fell off the dieting wagon and gained 12 pounds since last year” or “In March I took the family out for a fine dining experience. We all got chalupas and food poisoning from Taco Bell.” So in those seasonal update Christmas cards they are usually packed with exciting pictures, news of accomplishments, and a sunny sense of optimism. Maybe you’ve read one that says something like: “Harold just finished work on a 3rd Ph.D while being promoted to regional VP of a small but vibrant paper company in Scranton” or “While on our seven week vacation in Peru, we ate the most sumptuous food you could possibly imagine (see picture to left)” or “This year has brought many challenges but we faced them down like that tiger on our African safari and we look forward to facing down many more tigers in the year to come.”

So how does my enjoyment of the annual Christmas letter tie into my enjoyment of social media? Well, when it comes to social media (predominantly Facebook in this case) I like to see what my friends and family are up to. I appreciate that picture or video of someones kid doing something cute in the same way I appreciate those Christmas letter tomes. They share what is important to that person and if I really care about that person I tend to appreciate and value what is happening in their lives.

Does social media sometimes present only a part of the story? Sure it does. Not everyone is going to post on Facebook about all the difficulties they face in life just like a lot of times that information isn’t included in the annual Christmas letter. That said, if my “friends” on Facebook are my friends in real life when they post about a struggle on Facebook I genuinely care. Often times that will lead to a phone call or an email to follow up and see how they are doing.

Can someone share too much? Yeah. Can social media extend relationships that probably should have ended? Sure. But if you keep a friend list whittled down to people you actually care about. People who you would like to sit down with in real life and share a cup of coffee with and chat about all the silly things your kids are doing, then I think social media can be a really wonderful thing. Kind of like one of those annual Christmas letters only it gets updated more often.

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HP TouchPad Review- A device gone before its time (but maybe not dead yet)

I got up dark and early on Black Friday. It was the first time I’d ever gotten up early to make a purchase on the busiest shopping day of the year. I had one goal in mind: get to Office Depot. I was buying an inexpensive laptop for my church and also hoping to snag a 32GB TouchPad for $150. It worked out perfectly because the TouchPad had to be bought along with an HP laptop.

I’ve been using the TouchPad for almost two weeks now. My iPad now spends most its time in wife’s hands because I’ve been a little enamored with HP’s late TouchPad. Here’s why I think this could have been a legitimate competitor had HP marketed it right and priced it right (maybe $100 less than the comparable iPad) from the get-go.

• Hardware- While it does not have the metal body and glass screen that an iPad has, the TouchPad is a well put together gadget. It has a nice feel in the hands and has enough heft to feel well-built but it is not heavy enough to be bothersome. The glossy plastic does attract fingerprints but I also think it looks nicer than the options available on the iPad. If the device had lasted, HP could have released a white one that would also have looked fantastic.
• Screen- The screen on the TouchPad is another high point. It is wonderfully crisp and clear with nice range of brightness adjustments. It is a 9.7″ screen with a 1024×768 resolution. I have found the picture quality to be excellent for everything from watching movies, to viewing photos, to reading books. The screen is quite reflective but it hasn’t been too much of a bother so far since I’m usually indoors when I use the device.
• Software- It’s really too bad HP didn’t spend more time optimizing WebOS and the TouchPad to play nice together. WebOS is a great alternative to iOS and, as of right now, is even better than the current Android alternatives. Even with its short life, WebOS still has a better assortment of tablet apps than Android. This is one reason why an Android tablet purchased for my mom ended up going back to the store. There simply were not enough dedicated tablet apps to fit her needs. Also, WebOS handles multitasking in a really great way. You have to see it action to appreciate it, but it is far more intuitive than iOS. WebOS combines the user friendliness of iOS with the customization of Android. Plus, there is an active homebrew community.
• Homebrew community- The TouchPad rightfully took flack for performance out of the box. Compared to iOS, it seemed far less smooth and polished. Well, the homebrew community quickly stepped in and provided dead simple patches to smooth things out and even to significantly overclock the device. After I spent about thirty minutes downloading and installing these patches the performance of the device picked up dramatically. I would say that it feels at least as snappy as my iPad and in doing things like loading full web pages it actually performs more quickly. Oh, and it supports Flash which eliminates the need for a lot of apps since you can go straight to the website and get the full content experience.
• Android hacks- If HP does decide to shutdown support for WebOS (which is still up in the air as of this writing) then I can rest easy in knowing that there is a huge interest in porting the latest versions of Android over to the TouchPad. There are already Alpha releases of Gingerbread and work has begun on the Ice Cream Sandwich code to get it ported over as well. Should this development result in a reliable port, the $150 paid for this stellar hardware will be a great bargain.
• Windows 8 (maybe)- This is a big maybe, but if Windows 8 does support the popular tablet chipsets then there is a chance that this could turn into a Windows 8 tablet too.

Those are the big positives for me. The mere prospect of being able to have a Windows 8 tablet for $150 was enough for me to try and pick one up. There are some negatives here that should be noted.

• Apps- Compared to iOS it is slim pickings. That said, I’ve been able to do just fine. However, if you like having an app for everything you should avoid the TouchPad
• Out of box performance- I’ve touched on this a bit but I’ll mention it here too. The TouchPad really does need to have those simple hacks done in order to shine. If you are willing to take the (very easy) plunge I wouldn’t worry too much about OOB performance. However, if you aren’t and you are expecting iPad like smoothness OOB you should buy an iPad.
• Accessories- There are cases and a few other items out there but don’t expect anything near Apple levels of accessories.

So there are my thoughts after actively using the device for nearly two weeks. I think it was well worth the price and if you have a chance to pick one up (I think it would even be worth it at the $200-250 range they are running on Amazon and eBay) and don’t mind a little easy hacking you should jump on the opportunity.

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Kids and Screen Time

There’s been some research floating around the web lately and Al Mohler is the latest person to do a write up on it. It was The American Academy of Pediatrics that conducted the decade long study and the results are fascinating and worth looking at and keeping in mind when making decisions about kids and media consumption.

Here are some excerpts:

Parents should pay close attention to the group’s statement, released as “Media Use by Children Younger than Two Years.” According to the AAP, 90 percent of parents reported that their children under the age of two “watch some form of electronic media.” These children watch, parents reported, an average of one to two hours of television a day. A considerable number of parents indicated their belief that television is “very important for healthy development,” and leave the television on virtually all waking hours.

I found this a little shocking. Why would anyone think TV would be educational for such a young child and why would anyone leave the TV on all day? It would seem that simply observing your child would lead you to this conclusion. When a child is staring at a glowing light, especially a young one who cannot mentally engage with what is going on, what good is that doing them? Liam is far more interactive when he is exploring on the floor, playing with his toys, or interacting with his parents than when he stops to see what is going on with the big glowing light.

One statistic cited by the group is truly shocking — by age three, almost one third of all children have a television in their bedroom.

Really? What are we thinking parents? How does anyone think this is a good idea? Is it because parents have become lazy and know they can trust the TV to keep their toddler occupied? It’s one thing to have a TV in the living room but to stick it in the room of your toddler just strikes me as totally irresponsible. Which will be best for the kid, face time with mommy and daddy or face time with Teletubbies?

The number of American homes with television outnumbers the number of homes with indoor plumbing. The average American home with children has four televisions, one DVR, up to three DVD players, two CD players, two radios, two computers, and two video game units.

If almost one third of three-year-olds have a television in their bedrooms, 70 percent of American teenagers do. At least one third of the nation’s teenagers have a computer with internet access in their bedroom.

What struck me here was that most homes have four TVs and seventy percent of teens have TVs in their bedrooms. FOUR TVs! Really? When you consider the average number of kids a typical American family has that works out to roughly one TV per family member. That means each member of the family can park in front of the TV in the evening and interact very little with the rest of the family. This should really give parents pause. Parents need to raise up spiritually and doctrinally sound kids. How can this happen if each member of the family is sitting in front of a TV screen for most of the time they are at home? I’m not saying if you have more than one TV you are somehow abdicating your role as parent, but are you making it much harder than it needs to be? Is the content on TV really that good that you want your child having their own set?

Basically this research just reinforces the importance of kids getting face time with their parents instead of with the tube. I’ll be the first to say that I have no problems with TV, computers, or video games. I love a good film or TV series. I love building and using a computer. Video games are a fun hobby and show increasing potential as an art form. That said, these things absolutely have to be done in moderation and with wisdom. I don’t think we need to toss out our TVs, but we likely don’t need as many and we definitely need to make sure that we are the ones raising our kids and not the ideologies on the screen that often fly in the face of Scripture.

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Living With Windows Phone 7

I’ve had a Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7 device since the day they were launched back in November of last year. I’ve had over eight months to put this thing through the rigors of everyday use and see how it meets my needs. Essentially I was looking for something that provided solid email support, a good calendar, a robust music player, and a good selection of apps. Everyone has different needs in a phone, but those were mine. Lets run down that list and see how the phone has performed.

1. Email support- Basically I just needed to be able to check all my email accounts. WP7 makes it easy to set up if you have a Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail/Live account. I was also able to set up the phone to receive email on my military account without any difficulties. So in terms of being able to access all my accounts it has succeeded wonderfully. With the Mango update coming this fall the email hubs will get even better.

2. Calendar- I use Google Calendar as a sort of hub for keeping all my calendars in sync across my desktop, laptop, iPad, and phone. This works marvelously in WP7 as it has built in support for Google Calendar and I simply had to make it my default calendar option. If I add something on my phone it gets added to all my other devices. If I add something on Google Calendar through a browser, it gets added to my phone. If you are a Google Calendar user this phone is an excellent choice.

3. Music- All I have to say is, “Zune.” The software and the implementation on the phone is far superior to any iOS device (and I own 2 iOS devices). WP7 is a stellar multimedia device complete with great playback controls, wonderful album and artist art, and access to the Zune store and Zune Pass music subscription. Nothing even comes close to this combination for music lovers. If you love music you should have a WP7 device. The only downside is the limited storage space on the phones.

4. Apps- WP7 does not have 3 billion apps like iOS and Android. However, it has more than enough. There has never been a time where I went hunting for an app that I needed that I have not been able to find something. Sure, there might not be forty apps that all do the same thing, but I have always been able to find what I need. For example, one of the first things I went hunting for was an app to use the GPS to track my runs. At launch I was able to pick from several apps and found the one I liked the best (RunSat). Don’t let the size of the app store sway you. WP7 has plenty of apps plus it has really cool Xbox live integration for a number of games.

Windows Phone 7 is a great mobile OS and it is only going to get better. The major update coming this fall will add a ton of features and functionality to an already great system. If you are looking for a new phone, do yourself a favor and give this OS a chance. I think once you actually get your hands on a device you will like what you see.

My New Camera- Canon EOS 7D

Just before leaving on our trip to Washington for my cousin’s wedding, I bought a new DSLR. My trusty old Sony A100 had done an admirable job of introducing me to the SLR world but I felt it was time to make a step up in camera.

I looked at the latest offerings from Sony, but other than the high end full frame cameras (A900 and A850) nothing they had really caught my eye. Sony had not released a real prosumer model since a A700 in 2007. That pretty much took Sony out of the running for me. They have a plethora of entry level SLRs but are decidedly lacking in mid level cameras.

I briefly looked at the Nikon offerings, but my bias was already towards Canon since my first digital camera was a Canon (A95) and it took some really great pictures. Plus, I really like the model lineup Canon has right now. I seriously looked at the EOS 50D as it had great reviews and a lot of great features that would make it a definite step up from my Sony. Still, I had been reading rave reviews about the EOS 7D and decided to give it a test run at a local camera store.

Once I held the 7D I knew it was the camera I needed. The camera feels built like a tank and holding an entry level  SLR now feels like the difference between my Honda Fit and an Abrams tank. The camera is absolutely loaded with features. One of the reasons I chose it over the 50D was that I wanted a camera I could grow into. The 7D is definitely that.

The best thing about the 7D is the level of confidence it gives you when you are shooting. My biggest complaint with my Sony was the poor low light performance. The 7D has incredible performance in low light! The camera allows you to focus on getting the shot because you don’t have to worry about how your camera is going to perform when you shoot with a 7D.

All that to say, it was a good purchase. It was definitely a lot of money, but it is something I will be able to use for a long time. Plus, I feel very comfortable using it with higher end lenses because I know the camera is good enough to take advantage of the better glass. Right now I am saving up money for an 85mm lens. All the reviews that I have read say that it is a stellar portrait lens and that is exactly what I am looking for. Now I just have to work on my Photoshop skills…

Computing in the Cloud: Jolicloud and Chrome OS

Many of the technology sites that I frequent are loaded with articles and opinions about Google’s foray into the OS market. I have to say, when I first heard about Chrome OS I was pretty excited to see what it had to offer. I have been using various Google products (Picasa, Gmail, Docs, Wave, etc.) for some time and I have generally been very pleased with the experience. I have also taken to using the Chrome browser on my netbook because the light footprint is more conducive to the limited system resources of the minuscule computer.

That said, the more I read about Chrome, the less excited I am about it. Chrome, from what I understand, is going to be total cloud computing (with offline access provided by something like Gears). This is all well and good, but I am not ready to turn over all my data to the cloud (and judging from comments on articles, a good number of other people aren’t either). I know that many people already commit vast amounts of data to the cloud, but most of us still maintain copies of that data on local drives. I’m a backup fiend and I feel much more secure knowing that I have my data stored in more than one location and on more than one drive. Google Docs allows me to easily back up the documents I choose, but there are some things I am not comfortable sticking on Docs. For example, I don’t upload my banking documents to Google Docs. I don’t like the idea of anyone with an internet connection being able to hack into my Docs account and access my bank statements. At least on a personal computer I know that I have important documents buried under layers of security and that is something the cloud cannot provide.

I think cloud computing needs to be balanced with traditional storage options. What I have read about Chrome OS suggests that the majority of, if not all, data will be stored in the cloud. I don’t like that. I don’t like my computer being dependent on an internet connection in order to be functional. Jolicloud provides a great alternative. Jolicloud is an OS built around the look of Ubuntu Netbook Remix and Mozilla Prism (for the web apps) that strives to bring ease of use, cloud computing, and local accessibility to a netbook centric OS. I have been running an alpha version for awhile and I am quite impressed. It makes Linux accessible to the every day user by using a sort of app store that makes the installations of applications (local and cloud) a piece of cake. One of the reasons I have avoided Linux was that I absolutely hate the command line and having to install programs from it (I know, I’m not a true power user). Jolicloud does away with much of that and makes installing a program as easy as the click of a mouse.

As to the cloud part of Jolicloud, many programs that are internet based are optimized to take up all the screen real estate of a netbook thanks to Mozilla Prism running them instead of a traditional browser. For example, if I click on the Facebook icon, it launches Facebook but I don’t have to deal with the browser taking up parts of the screen. It’s an awesome idea and makes operating on a small netbook a more pleasing experience. You can keep a number of apps open and jump between them without tying up valuable screen real estate.

The biggest plus about Jolicloud is that it does not limit you to cloud computing. I can still store and access documents locally through OpenOffice or if I have an internet connection I can use the cloud if I choose to. The point is, Jolicloud gives you more options than it appears the Chrome OS will give you.

Jolicloud is about to move from alpha to beta and I look forward to seeing where the OS is headed. So far, I like what I have seen from Jolicloud better than Chrome OS. I encourage you to check out the Jolicloud website and give the OS a spin. I am dual booting on my Samsung NC10 with no problems and find myself using Jolicloud over XP more and more.

Music Lovers, It’s Time to Leave Itunes and Give the Zune Software a Go

A little over a year ago I gave into the Ipod cult and purchased an Itouch to use primarily for the PDA type features and the ability to take the internet with me in my pocket. Unfortunately, that also meant that I was stuck with Itunes (I know there is freeware out there, I just didn’t want to mess with it) to use for syncing up the device with my computer. I used Itunes as my primary music playing software for over a year before I finally got tired of it. The software is bloated, slow, and not very fun to look at. I went back to my trusty Windows Media Player for awhile because the software was much more responsive. Now, my computer is no slouch so there is no reason why Itunes should be so slow other than the software simply being bloated.

With Itunes trying my patience, I decided to search out a new media player to replace it as my primary desktop music software. I had heard a few good things about the Zune software but had never jumped on that bandwagon because I do no own a Zune. Well, I decided to give the software a try. I downloaded it and installed it and it found all my music with no problems. In fact, it has had far fewer issues pulling album art than Itunes had. After loading the software, I decided to start fiddling with it and was pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness and depth of features the Zune software provides.

My favorite feature of the software is the artist bios that it pulls down. You can browse through your collection and pick an artist and you can select an option to find out more about the artist. Selecting that option will take you to a screen where you can access their bio, pictures, and other works by the artist. I have been impressed that the software will pull bio info for even some fairly obscure acts and it is not just limited to the big names. This feature alone should be enough for true music lovers to give the Zune software a try. If you would like to know a little bit about the artists you have in your collection, you should definitely give this software a try.

The Zune software also beats Itunes hands down in terms of user interface. The interface is clean, modern, and makes browsing through your collection a joy. The screen that you can bring up when your music is playing features an ever changing background of all the album art in your collection.

I have not purchased any music from the Zune store, but a music lover should find the Zune Pass an appealing proposition. $15/mo lets you download as many songs as you want and keep them for as long as you have the subscription. Imagine how many new artists you could find with the ability to simply download whatever caught your eye without worrying about the cost. The other nice thing about the Zune Pass is that included in the $15 monthly fee is the option to permanently keep ten songs you downloaded. If you were to download 50 songs in a month, you could pick out your ten favorite songs and keep them at no extra cost. If you love finding new music, the Zune Pass allows a person to try anything that suits your fancy.

Really, what have you go to lose? Are you really that tied to Itunes? Yeah, I still have it so that I can sync my Ipod but happily the Zune software has replaced it as my music playback software of choice. So go out and try something different. The software is free and if you don’t like it, you can always uninstall it.

Below are some screen captures from the Zune software on my computer that show it in action:

“Collection” Screen

Now Playing

Artist Page

Artist Bio Page

Podcast Page

Macs Less Secure Than Windows, but Still Safer

From Wired:

Apple users have less protection from viruses and malicious software than Windows users do. But they’re still safer, security experts agree, because so few malware programs target the Mac.

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Apple’s new Snow Leopard operating system, which landed in stores Friday, adds a few security enhancements to protect Mac users from malware. But like previous versions of the Mac OS, Snow Leopard lacks security features that are built in to Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, such as full Address Space Layout Randomization to thwart attacks from malicious code.

That makes Macs more vulnerable to attack, explained Charlie Miller, a security researcher and author of the book The Mac Hacker’s Handbook. But despite its weaknesses, Mac users have no reason to panic — yet. Apple’s PC market share is still roughly only about 10 percent, giving hackers and malicious software coders very little economic incentive to target the Mac.

I have always chuckled at the insistence of many Mac users that their computer is “more secure” than Windows. I suppose if you look at it from one standpoint, yeah Macs are more secure. However, as the Wired article points out, they lack security features that have been a standard part of Windows since XP (that would be 2001 for those keeping track).

Now, I have nothing against Macs or Mac users, but there tends to be a certain superiority complex that seems to accompany owning a Mac (not everyone, mind you, I have friends who are Mac users that perfectly normal). I simply get tired of all the misinformed Mac users touting the technological superiority of their computers. Macs are well designed, stable, and fast and work great for a lot of people. I, however, am perfectly happy running Windows 7 (and previously XP). Windows does everything I need and there is a plethora of free software (I know Macs have free software too, but it’s not as abundant) out there that allow me to accomplish many tasks without forking out extra dough.

So, I will continue to proudly use my PC (which I built) and say more power to you if you use a Mac. Just don’t try and sell me on the “mine’s better than yours!” argument. Both OS’s have their strengths and weaknesses and sometimes the supposed strengths of a Mac are simply that it is not as popular as a Windows PC and therefore is not as big a target for the scheming virus gremlins that infect the red-light district of the internet and email inboxes.

HTPC (Update 1)

The last couple of weeks have seen some additions made to the Home Theater PC I built in the spring. One of the things that I wanted to add from the beginning, but held off on due to my budget, was a TV tuner. I got a good deal on the one I wanted at a local Fry’s and got it set it up with my system.

I am using the external HDHomerun tuner and I am very impressed so far. The tuner has two tuners built in which allows me to watch and record two different shows at the same time. Currently, my input signal is the free channels provided by our local cable provider. I tried using my rabbit ears to get the over the air channels, but the signal was not strong enough for recording. The free cable channels work well and the networks are all in HD. I used a splitter to take advantage of the dual tuners. I am using Windows Media Center to manage all my recording and I am pleased with the results thus far.

The only issue that I have run into is that sometimes my recordings do not play back very smoothly in Windows Media Center (Windows 7 x64, RC). This is not a huge issue because I can simply minimize WMC and place the files in Windows Media Player from the desktop.

The tuner has been an awesome addition and I highly recommend it, especially if you just get the free channels and don’t want to pay your cable or satellite provider extra for a DVR and channels you never watch. The tuner effectively completed my HTPC so anything I add to it now will be upgrades.

In the area of upgrades, Newegg had a great deal on Samsung 1.5 TB drives a couples of weeks ago. I was able to pick up two drives for about $95/drive shipped. This upgrade was necessary because ripping HD movies to the HDD typically takes anywhere between 7-10 GB using the method I prefer. That starts taking up space on a HDD very quickly.

I am very pleased with the Samsung drives. I now own three Samsung drives (a 1 TB and 2 1.5 TB drives) and have not had a single hiccup yet. The addition of the Samsung drives raised the internal storage on my HTPC to 5 TB with a 500 GB external that I record TV shows on.

Below are some pictures of the guts of my HTPC as it is now. I’m not very good at cable management but it works and everything stays cool.

Computer Cannibal

Over the years I have managed to accumulate a good bit of technology paraphernalia. It has gotten to the point that I rarely have to buy any kind of cable, because I have a box full of cables from old gadgets that have made their way to that great technology roundup in the sky.

A year ago, I bought my wife an Acer Aspire One netbook. It’s hard to believe how far netbooks have come in a year. Last fall, netbooks were relatively rare (i.e. hard to find in a big box retailer), most had meager storage thanks to their small SSD drives, and most ran some type of Linux OS. The Acer I bought my wife was no exception to those rules. In the last year it has performed well in the tasks that it has been given. Alas, the Linpus Linux build did not last, and it has run (albeit very slowly) a stripped down version of XP.

This weekend, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade the RAM on the Acer. Type “Aspire One RAM upgrade” into a search engine and see what comes up. You’ll find that there are a ton of guides out there because to upgrade the RAM you literally have to disassemble the computer. Well, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade the RAM anyway. It’s a cheap little computer so if I mess up it’s not a huge deal. Besides, if I mess up that just means I have more spare parts I can use for future cannibalizing. Since I was going to have the whole thing torn apart, I also decided to see if one of the 1.8′ HDD’s from one of my mp3 players would fit in there so that I could be done with the measly 8 GB SSD.

The two mp3 players I disassembled were an old (i.e. 2003-4 era) Dell DJ and Toshiba Gigabeat (2006). They were actually fairly easy to take apart. Unlike Apple, which makes its products virtually inaccessible  to the prodding screw drivers of aspiring technology cannibals, the Dell and Toshiba were just a matter of removing the right screws and carefully detaching some cables.

Unfortunately, neither HDD worked. The Dell was too old and the Toshiba needed a different ribbon cable (otherwise it would have worked). Fortunately, I was able to put both players back together and they still work perfectly (try doing that with your Ipod).

Oh, and my whole reason for risking life and silicon (i.e. the RAM upgrade) was a success. I tore the netbook down, put in my stick of RAM, and successfully put it back together. I actually enjoyed the whole process. I have never gutted a notebook or an mp3 player and successfully doing all of them in the same evening was a lot of work and quite enjoyable.

Anyway, I took some pictures of the ordeal and I will post them below.